NEW DELHI / AGARTALA, May 22 (TIWN): One day ahead of the Vote Counting, the Election Commission of on Wednesday rejected a demand by 22 Opposition parties asking that VVPAT slips be counted before EVMs in polling stations where applicable.

Opposition parties had demanded “if any discrepancy is found anywhere during the VVPAT verification, 100 per cent counting of paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that assembly segments should be done”.

On Tuesday, it was senior Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi who argued the Opposition’s case before the Commission. Opposition leaders had said the poll panel assured them that a meeting of the full Commission would look into their demands.

The leaders, however, had said they were not very hopeful since the EC’s “body language was not very positive” and today finally EC has rejected the plea.