Tampering with EVMs helped BJP retain Gujarat, says Hardik Patel

AHMEDABAD: Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Monday congratulated the BJP for retaining power in Gujarat by "tampering with the EVMs".  Addressing a press conference here, Patel alleged the BJP resort to EVM tampering to secure its victory in Gujarat Assembly elections. "EVMs have been tampered with in Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. Thus, the gap between the winning and losing candidates is less where voting machines were rigged," he claimed. On Congress getting lesser seats than he had predicted, Hardik said, "I don't care about seats of the Congress party. However, the point is whether every vote has gone to the right candidate or not". The ruling BJP was on Monday set to retain power in Gujarat, with its candidates on the victory lap in 104 of the 182 seats as the Congress again settled for the second place but with an improved showing. After surprisingly leading over the BJP at one point and sending the stock market crashing, the Congress began to trail to the BJP again. Election Commission officials said the Congress was expected to grab 75 seats. The BJP won 115 seats and the Congress 61 in 2012.