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Haryana polls: Rahul Gandhi calls MLA Virk ‘most honest man’ for claiming EVMs only vote for BJP

The Election Commission had on Sunday issued a showcause notice to Virk for purportedly making controversial remarks about EVMs.

Haryana polls: Rahul Gandhi calls MLA Virk ‘most honest man’ for claiming EVMs only vote for BJP

Rahul Gandhi (File Photo: IANS)

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday as one of its candidate Bakhshish Singh Virk from Assandh constituency in Haryana, is seen in a viral video claiming that no matter which button is pressed on the electronic voting machine (EVM), the vote would go to the saffron party.

Gandhi took to Twitter and shared the video calling Virk “the most honest man in the BJP”.

In the 39-second video, Virk is seen saying in Punjabi, “Whoever you vote for, we will get to know which person has voted for whom. Don’t think we won’t know. We deliberately don’t tell you, but if we want we can find out who you voted for whom. Because Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is intelligent, Manoharlal (Chief Minister ML Khattar) is intelligent.”

Further in his speech, Virk apparently claims that the EVMs are manipulated. “You may vote for anybody you like your vote will go to the kamal (lotus, BJP’s poll symbol) only. We have fixed a purja (part) in the EVM machines,” the MLA says eliciting laughter from the gathering.

The video which went viral on social media for the past several days seems to have been from one of Virk’s election campaigns. Though, the MLA termed the video as “fake” and dismissed it is a conspiracy by his rivals to defame him and his party.

However, the Election Commission had on Sunday issued a showcause notice to Virk for purportedly making controversial remarks about EVMs.

BJP won all the 10 parliamentary seats in Haryana in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019, held earlier this year. And, is leaving no stone unturned for a repeat performance in the state assembly elections as well.

In the 2014 Assembly polls in Haryana, the BJP won 47 seats and formed the government in the state for the first time. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) came second at 19 while the ruling Congress (which ruled the state for two consecutive terms till 2014) managed just 15 seats. Two seats went to the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), and one each to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Five Independents were also elected.

Voting is underway for the election to the Legislative Assembly of Haryana. Counting of votes will take place on October 24 and the results will be out on the same day.

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