Uttar Pradesh bypoll results: Akhilesh Yadav says victory margins would have been higher if there was no EVM problem

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said had electronic voting machines (EVMs) worked without a glitch, the victory margins of his party’s candidates in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections would have been higher. [caption id=“attachment_4177723” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. AFP[/caption] The ballot paper system was the best way of voting, the SP leader said, adding that it helped the people air their anger. “Had the EVMs worked smoothly and had no time been wasted (in the voting process), the victory margins of the Samajwadi candidates would have been much higher. In several EVM machines, votes had already been cast (even before polling began),” he told the media. Yadav, who congratulated the two victorious candidates in the Uttar Pradesh by-elections, said the party had complained about the EVMS and “the Election Commission should take note of it”. “The entire anger of the voters could not come out through the EVMs. Had ballot papers been used the impact of the anger would have been clear,” he stressed.