Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati have alleged that it was the wicked EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) that made their Aam Aadmi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party respectively, lose at the hustings. Kejriwal, who was expecting his party with the symbol of the broom to actually sweep aside all other parties in Punjab, says the EVMs were tampered with, transferring to the Shiromani Akali Dal the votes that rightfully should have gone to the AAP. Mayawati maintains that the machines in UP were defective.
While the BJP has, like many independent people, pointed out that both these leaders have won landslide victories in elections where the same machines were used, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu went to the extent of saying that something was defective about Mayawati!
Even as these leaders traded charges involving the EVMs, the Election Commission of India on Thursday said if any specific allegation with material facts was presented to the ECI, the same would be looked into with all seriousness on administrative sides. “The ECI did not receive specific complaints or concrete material from political parties/candidates about alleged tempering of EVMs during recently held election process. At this stage, baseless, speculative and wild allegations are being made which deserves to be rejected.” said the ECI in a press released.
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The ECI said it was not the first time such allegations and suspicions had been raised. The commission has in the past too offered opportunities more than once to those alleging the tamperability of EVM.
“No one has been able to demonstrate to the commission that the EVM with ECI and used in the country's election process, can be manipulated or tampered with. The commission does not find any merit in such allegations and reject all such allegations and suspicions raised by some political parties. ECI assures all citizens that EVM of ECI are temper proof and (is) fully satisfied with the integrity of electoral process using EVM. ECI will further enhance confidence of citizens in ECI's electoral process by deploying VVPAT (voter-verified paper audit trail) in phase manner.”, the Commssion said.
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According to the ECI, given the effective technical and administrative safeguards, EVMs are not temperable and the integrity of electoral process is preserved.
Since 2000, EVMs have been used in 107 elections to state legislative assemblies and three elections to the Lok Sabha—2004, 2009 and 2014.
In 2009, in a case before the Delhi High Court, all earlier allegations about EVM temperabilities were raised. However, Delhi High Court, satisfied with the detailed reply of the ECI on why EVM cannot be rigged and on its efforts on developing VVPAT, disposed of the case in 2012 that VVPAT may be developed early in consultation with political parties. The commission has put in place an elaborate technical and administrative system of safeguards to ensure error-free functioning of EVMs in elections, and is fully satisfied with the tamper proof functioning of the ECI-EVMs.
“ What has been demonstrated or claimed to have been demonstrated is on a privately assembled 'look-alike of ECI-EVMs' and not the actual ECI-EVM. However, the extraordinary measure of requiring demonstration in ECI HQ in 2009 was undertaken by the Election Commission in fulfilment of its responsibility not to allow even a small shade of doubt about any aspect of its operation and in order to set at rest any misgiving anywhere. Today, the commission once again completely reaffirms its faith in the infallibility of the EVMs. These are fully tamper-proof,” the commission asserted.
