Ruling Awami League has hailed the Election Commission’s decision over the use of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in 150 parliamentary seats in the next general election.

“We have welcomed the Election Commission’s decision to use Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in maximum 150 constituencies in the next parliamentary elections,” AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said after paying homage at the grave of the ruling AL’s former women leader Ivy Rahman in the city’s Banani area marking her 18th death anniversary.

During talks with EC, ruling Awami League batted for the use of EVMs in all 300 parliamentary seats while 14 parties, including the main opposition Jatiya Party, cast doubt over the use of the tool.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which boycotted the talks, has been alleging that the device will be a tool for vote rigging.

Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said they wanted the use of the device in 300 seats but the EC agreed to use the tool in half of all constituencies.

Referring to a dialogue with the EC, the AL spokesperson said they suggested using the EVM in 2018 as a modern technology because his party never wants recurrence of vote rigging and forgery in the elections.

“Then the EC had introduced the EVM technology in some elections,” he said, adding, “So we had demanded EVM in 300 constituencies during the next parliamentary elections.”

“Those who are afraid of EVM, do they want free and fair elections at all?” he posed a question.