Akhilesh to discuss EVM issue with Opposition leaders

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has said that he will convene a meeting of Opposition leaders in the second week of January to build a consensus and demand that the byelections to Gorakhpur and Lok Sabha seats should be held through ballot papers.

“People want free and fair polls. The use of EVMs has led to erosion of people’s faith and this is not a good sign for democracy. When the opposition parties meet, we will decide how to raise our demand,” he said.

Mr Yadav said that in the recent municipal elections, the BJP had won in urban areas where EVMs were used but had lost in rural areas where polls were held through ballot papers.