Why did Congress MLA blacken his face in MP?

In a symbolic protest, Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya smeared black ink on a poster showcasing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) outside the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal on Thursday. This happened in the presence of senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who recently reignited the debate surrounding EVMs with his statement that has been opposing them since 2003.

Congress MLA keeps his word, 'blackens' his face because he had said BJP won't win more than 50 seats in MP

Edited video is available on PTI Videos (https://t.co/L2D7HH309u) #PTINewsAlerts #PTIVideos @PTI_News pic.twitter.com/77kvN8nzwZ

— PTI News Alerts (@PTI_NewsAlerts) December 7, 2023

Congress MLA meets pre-poll promise

The blackening of the EVM poster came after Baraiya's earlier declaration that he would blacken his face if the BJP won over 50 seats in the recent Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. True to his word, Baraiya smeared black ink on his face alongside the EVM poster, further emphasizing his disapproval of the BJP's victory.

VIDEOP | Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya gets his face blackened by party leader Digvijaya Singh outside the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal.

Baraiya had claimed ahead of the MP Assembly polls that he would blacken his face if the BJP gets more than 50 seats. The BJP retained power in… pic.twitter.com/2k4BhYQ6Xq

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 7, 2023

Why does Digvijaya Singh criticises EVMs?

Digvijaya Singh, a vocal critic of EVMs, has been at the forefront of questioning their reliability and security. His recent statement, made days after the Congress's defeat in the Madhya Pradesh elections, reignited the debate surrounding EVMs and their potential for manipulation.

Singh wrote in a post on microblogging platform X, "Any Machine with a Chip can be hacked. I have opposed voting by EVM since 2003. Can we allow our Indian Democracy to be controlled by Professional Hackers! This is the Fundamental Question which all Political Parties have to address to. Hon ECI and Hon Supreme Court would you please defend our Indian Democracy?"

EVMs are not safe for democracy, says Ravi Nair 

He further mentioned a thread by journalist Ravi Nair, which elaborated on the vulnerabilities of EVMs and their potential threat to democracy.

Ravi Nair posted on his X account, "VVPAT is not a safeguard as long as every slip is not counted. Many people believe Mass tampering of EVMs is not possible. No need. 3 to 3.5% of the tampered EVMs will alter the results drastically. Whichever political party wins elections, EVMs are not safe for democracy."

Singh's post also included the cover of a book by BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao, questioning the credibility of EVMs. 

Who won Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls?

The BJP created a record in Madhya Pradesh's assembly polls and came to power again after having ruled the state for 18 of the past 20 years.