Ahmedabad, Jun 1 (IANS): With some sections questioning "reliability" of EVMs, some social organisations of Gujarat and leaders associated with the Congress have launched the "Jan Adhikar Satyagraha" to push for a return to ballot papers.

Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday, Congress leader and Satyagraha convener Deepak Babaria, who was joined by former BJP MLA Siddharth Parmar and leaders of various organisations and communities, said a meeting of intellectuals and thinkers was held to launch the initiative.

"There is a situation in the country where democracy is being violated and people who do not like it are being deported. We have started Jan Adhikar Satyagraha to counter the same. There was a noticeable gap in the counting of votes of EVMs and VVIPs in the elections held in five states in the 2019 which raises serious doubts against EVMs.

"If elections are held by ballot, the BJP will be largely defeated. Batteries are not removed from the VVIP and control unit even after voting. Due to it EVM can connect to the internet and it can be tampered with. It has been proven with evidence," he alleged.

Parmar said: "Our demand is that the printed slip coming out of the VVIP should be handed over to the voters and given the right to put it in the ballot box."

Arrangements should be made at every polling station so that voters can watch the process live on CCTV, he said.

Babaria said that not only as a Congress leader but also as a citizen, he would take up these issues with the Election Commission.