Thane: NCP (SP)’s Thane unit said on Wednesday it has sent nearly 10,000 postcards signed by residents and activists to President Droupadi Murmu, requesting her intervention in ensuring fair polls in the future through the ballot system and ending the use of EVMs. Party workers took out a protest march to “save the democracy”, led by MLA Jitendra Awhad, while seeking the signatures. “We don’t claim that EVMs were hacked but say they were tampered with. The 17C form data doesn’t match the actual polling numbers. Records show that around 25% of the total day’s voting was done in the last hour. How is it possible? EC is also silent… The public seems to be raising doubts over the efficacy of EVMs and questioning the role of EC. We fear this may discourage the common man from the process in the longer run,” said Awhad. State chief electoral officer S Chockalingam had earlier told TOI that the percentage increase in polling after 5pm is on a par with the progress of voting during the day and that there was no surge. Later, Awhad questioned the hesitation in adopting the ballot system, saying many developed nations have switched over to it. —Manoj Badgeri