The Supreme Court of India Tuesday (Nov. 26) rejected a petition seeking to prefer the use of ballot papers over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale noted that the allegations of tampering were selective and were only made by people when they lose polls.

"What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," the bench noted.

The top court was hearing the petition filed by KA Paul, who argued that the use of ballot papers was necessary "to save democracy." The petition also cited claims made by US billionaire Elon Musk that no EVM in the world was tamper-proof.&nbsp;

He also quoted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to make a strong case for his argument.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiT8dT-h_qJAxVJf_UHHVYCLmcQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/severe-pollution-chokes-delhi-as-supreme-court-criticizes-government-for-slow-response-777176" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/videos/severe-pollution-chokes-delhi-as-supreme-court-criticizes-government-for-slow-response-777176&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiT8dT-h_qJAxVJf_UHHVYCLmcQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE">Severe Pollution Chokes Delhi as Supreme Court Criticizes Government for Slow Response</a>

However, the apex court refused to consider those, saying the Supreme Court was not the place to make such arguments.

"When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr Reddy lost, they say that EVMs are tampered with. When they win, they don't say anything. How can we see this? We are dismissing this," Justice Nath said, stressing, "This is not the place where you argue all of this."

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwi57Zf9h_qJAxWIh68BHTLuMDI4ChDF9AEoAHoECA4QAQ" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-directs-caqm-to-consider-reopening-schools-amid-delhi-ncr-pollution-crisis-779113" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-directs-caqm-to-consider-reopening-schools-amid-delhi-ncr-pollution-crisis-779113&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi57Zf9h_qJAxWIh68BHTLuMDI4ChDF9AEoAHoECA4QAQ">Supreme Court directs CAQM to consider reopening schools amid Delhi-NCR pollution crisis</a>

The petitioner had also sought a directive to the Election Commission of India to disqualify candidates found guilty of distributing money, liquor, or other material inducement to the voters during polls for a minimum period&nbsp;of five years.

"You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?," the top court asked the petitioner, who is president of an organisation that has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows.

"Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Supreme Court of India Tuesday (Nov. 26) rejected a petition seeking to prefer the use of ballot papers over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale noted that the allegations of tampering were selective and were only made by people when they lose polls.

The Supreme Court of India Tuesday (Nov. 26) rejected a petition seeking to prefer the use of ballot papers over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale noted that the allegations of tampering were selective and were only made by people when they lose polls. "What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," the bench noted. The top court was hearing the petition filed by KA Paul, who argued that the use of ballot papers was necessary "to save democracy." The petition also cited claims made by US billionaire Elon Musk that no EVM in the world was tamper-proof. He also quoted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to make a strong case for his argument. Also read: Severe Pollution Chokes Delhi as Supreme Court Criticizes Government for Slow Response However, the apex court refused to consider those, saying the Supreme Court was not the place to make such arguments. "When Chandrababu Naidu or Mr Reddy lost, they say that EVMs are tampered with. When they win, they don't say anything. How can we see this? We are dismissing this," Justice Nath said, stressing, "This is not the place where you argue all of this." Also read: Supreme Court directs CAQM to consider reopening schools amid Delhi-NCR pollution crisis The petitioner had also sought a directive to the Election Commission of India to disqualify candidates found guilty of distributing money, liquor, or other material inducement to the voters during polls for a minimum period of five years. "You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?," the top court asked the petitioner, who is president of an organisation that has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows. "Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench said. (With inputs from agencies)

'EVMs not tampered when you win?' Supreme Court rejects plea seeking use of ballot papers

Rahul Gandhi raised concerns about transparency of India's electoral process, criticising the use of EVMs as opaque systems that lack scrutiny. His comments follow X CEO Elon Musk's call for a ban due to potential hacking risks.

Elon Musk's remarks trigger fresh row over EVMs, Rahul Gandhi raises concern

This of course is the segment where we break the fake in which we deal with fake news that is doing the rounds around the world, especially in the context of the Indian elections. This time it's about a bogus video doing rounds on social media of people damaging EVMs. Watch to know more!

Old video of a crowd damaging EVMs resurfaced recently with a fake claim

India's top court has issued a notice to the election commission regarding a petition that advocates for the counting of all voter verified paper audit trail also known as VV Pat as opposed to the current practice of verification of only five randomly selected EVMS through VVPat. Watch in for more details!

India's top court seeks response from EC and Centre on plea for complete count of VVPAT slips

On Thursday, Pakistan's National Assembly passed a law repealing former Prime Minister Imran Khan's election reforms, which gave foreigners the ability to vote via I-Voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi's Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed by a majority vote in the lower house, with only members of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) voting against it.

Before submitting the measure, Abbasi proposed a move that would allow the law to be brought to the Senate for approval without going through the relevant standing committee.

According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, the bill will be forwarded to the Senate on Friday.

Azam Nazeer Tarar, a minister in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), described the bill as "extremely significant," recalling that the ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had made numerous amendments to the Election Act, 2017, including those that allowed the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and gave overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in general elections.

The revisions were enacted by the PTI administration through the Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021, which it rammed through the National Assembly with 32 other bills on November 17, last year, according to Tarar.

The minister also stated that Thursday's measure aimed to restore the Elections Act of 2017 to its original form, assuring free, fair, and transparent elections.

Two adjustments to Sections 94 and 103 of the statute are being made under the new bill, according to Tarar, both of which deal with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) undertaking pilot projects for overseas voting and the use of EVMs.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had also expressed its inability to hold elections through I-Voting and EVMs in a short span of time and without proper homework.

The amendment under Section 94 of the Election Act, 2017, suggests the ECP may conduct pilot projects for voting by overseas Pakistanis in by-elections to ascertain the technical efficacy, secrecy, security, and financial feasibility of such voting and shall share the results with the government.

It said the report would be laid before both houses of Parliament within 15 days from the commencement of a session of each house.

According to the law minister, the Election Commission of Pakistan had also raised objections to the use of EVMs.

He, however, clarified that the government was not against the use of the technology, and that holding polls using EVMs on a single day was "impossible".

"We only have concerns about the misuse of technology as the results transmission system has failed in the last general elections to favour a particular political party," he said.

He also dispelled the impression that the amendments were aimed at depriving overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote.

"Overseas Pakistanis are a precious asset to the country and the government does not believe in snatching their right to vote," he said.

Meanwhile, the PTI has strongly criticised the move and termed it a "regressive and condemnable act" by the government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sherif.

PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted: "PTI gave over nine million overseas Pakistanis the right to vote." Today, this band of thieves and thugs removed it, disenfranchising a staggering number of Pakistanis and barring the use of electronic voting machines. "

GDA lawmaker Ghous Bakhsh Mehr, on the other hand, said that EVMs were being used across the world and Pakistan should at least try using them.

"If not the whole country, then use them in some areas," he said.

During the National Assembly session, details of the expenses for the next general elections were shared.

According to the electoral watchdog's estimates, fresh polls will cost about Rs 47.41 billion, of which around Rs 15 billion will be for ensuring security.

The election commission had estimated the cost of conducting electronic voting at Rs 5.6 billion, while printing ballot papers would cost Rs 4.83 billion.

Further, Rs 1.79 billion would be spent on training polling staff. 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

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On Thursday, Pakistan's National Assembly passed a law repealing former Prime Minister Imran Khan's election reforms, which gave foreigners the ability to vote via I-Voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country.

On Thursday, Pakistan's National Assembly passed a law repealing former Prime Minister Imran Khan's election reforms, which gave foreigners the ability to vote via I-Voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi's Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed by a majority vote in the lower house, with only members of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) voting against it. Before submitting the measure, Abbasi proposed a move that would allow the law to be brought to the Senate for approval without going through the relevant standing committee. According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, the bill will be forwarded to the Senate on Friday. Azam Nazeer Tarar, a minister in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), described the bill as "extremely significant," recalling that the ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had made numerous amendments to the Election Act, 2017, including those that allowed the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and gave overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in general elections. The revisions were enacted by the PTI administration through the Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021, which it rammed through the National Assembly with 32 other bills on November 17, last year, according to Tarar. The minister also stated that Thursday's measure aimed to restore the Elections Act of 2017 to its original form, assuring free, fair, and transparent elections. Two adjustments to Sections 94 and 103 of the statute are being made under the new bill, according to Tarar, both of which deal with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) undertaking pilot projects for overseas voting and the use of EVMs. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had also expressed its inability to hold elections through I-Voting and EVMs in a short span of time and without proper homework. The amendment under Section 94 of the Election Act, 2017, suggests the ECP may conduct pilot projects for voting by overseas Pakistanis in by-elections to ascertain the technical efficacy, secrecy, security, and financial feasibility of such voting and shall share the results with the government. It said the report would be laid before both houses of Parliament within 15 days from the commencement of a session of each house. According to the law minister, the Election Commission of Pakistan had also raised objections to the use of EVMs. He, however, clarified that the government was not against the use of the technology, and that holding polls using EVMs on a single day was "impossible". "We only have concerns about the misuse of technology as the results transmission system has failed in the last general elections to favour a particular political party," he said. He also dispelled the impression that the amendments were aimed at depriving overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote. "Overseas Pakistanis are a precious asset to the country and the government does not believe in snatching their right to vote," he said. Meanwhile, the PTI has strongly criticised the move and termed it a "regressive and condemnable act" by the government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sherif. PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted: "PTI gave over nine million overseas Pakistanis the right to vote." Today, this band of thieves and thugs removed it, disenfranchising a staggering number of Pakistanis and barring the use of electronic voting machines. " GDA lawmaker Ghous Bakhsh Mehr, on the other hand, said that EVMs were being used across the world and Pakistan should at least try using them. "If not the whole country, then use them in some areas," he said. During the National Assembly session, details of the expenses for the next general elections were shared. According to the electoral watchdog's estimates, fresh polls will cost about Rs 47.41 billion, of which around Rs 15 billion will be for ensuring security. The election commission had estimated the cost of conducting electronic voting at Rs 5.6 billion, while printing ballot papers would cost Rs 4.83 billion. Further, Rs 1.79 billion would be spent on training polling staff. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Pakistan's national assembly approves bill to bar overseas citizens from voting, stop use of EVMs

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Friday said that there was no chance to bring back ballot papers in place of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/evm-hacking-row-sp-asks-ec-to-use-ballot-papers-for-2019-polls-192472">Electronic Voting Machines</a> (EVMs) in the elections.

Arora said that there was no question of going back to the old system and even the Supreme Court has repeatedly given verdicts against the return of ballot papers.

Earlier, Opposition parties had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVM machines.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had rejected Opposition's accusation, saying that EVMs are tamper-proof and can't be hacked.

On July 31, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mns-chief-raj-thackeray-meets-tmc-supremo-mamata-banerjee-calls-for-return-of-ballot-boxes-239783">Raj Thackeray</a> met Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and called for the return of ballot boxes.&nbsp;

Mamata Banerjee, who was one of the earliest interlocutors of the united opposition, has been demanding the return of ballot papers for&nbsp;a long time.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Mamata had asked all the Opposition parties to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. "I ask all the 23 political parties in the opposition to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. We must raise our voices. Even a country like the US has banned EVMs," Banerjee said.&nbsp;

(With reports from agencies)

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Friday said that there was no chance to bring back ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the elections.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Friday said that there was no chance to bring back ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the elections. Arora said that there was no question of going back to the old system and even the Supreme Court has repeatedly given verdicts against the return of ballot papers. Earlier, Opposition parties had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVM machines. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had rejected Opposition's accusation, saying that EVMs are tamper-proof and can't be hacked. On July 31, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray met Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and called for the return of ballot boxes. Mamata Banerjee, who was one of the earliest interlocutors of the united opposition, has been demanding the return of ballot papers for a long time. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Mamata had asked all the Opposition parties to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. "I ask all the 23 political parties in the opposition to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. We must raise our voices. Even a country like the US has banned EVMs," Banerjee said. (With reports from agencies)

We are not going back to the era of ballot papers: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray on Wednesday met West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and discussed use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections.

He invited the TMC supremo to attend a 'morcha' (protest) in Mumbai. "I came to meet her on the issue of use of EVMs in polls. I've invited her for a 'morcha' in Mumbai. She told me that her party is committed towards saving democracy. She said, "Main hun,aisa samajh lena," he told reporters after the meeting.

Thackeray arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Opposition parties had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVM machines.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had rejected opposition's accusation, saying that EVMs are tamper-proof and can't be hacked.

Mamata Banerjee was one of the earliest interlocutors of the united opposition. All like-minded anti-BJP parties had come under one umbrella to take on the saffron party in the Lok Sabha polls.

In June, Mamata had asked all the Opposition parties to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. "I ask all the 23 political parties in the opposition to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. We must raise our voices. Even a country like the US has banned EVMs," Banerjee said.&nbsp;

BJP returned to power with a thumping majority securing 303 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

(With inputs from agencies)

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray on Wednesday met West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and discussed use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray on Wednesday met West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and discussed use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections. He invited the TMC supremo to attend a 'morcha' (protest) in Mumbai. "I came to meet her on the issue of use of EVMs in polls. I've invited her for a 'morcha' in Mumbai. She told me that her party is committed towards saving democracy. She said, "Main hun,aisa samajh lena," he told reporters after the meeting. Thackeray arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday. Opposition parties had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVM machines. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had rejected opposition's accusation, saying that EVMs are tamper-proof and can't be hacked. Mamata Banerjee was one of the earliest interlocutors of the united opposition. All like-minded anti-BJP parties had come under one umbrella to take on the saffron party in the Lok Sabha polls. In June, Mamata had asked all the Opposition parties to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. "I ask all the 23 political parties in the opposition to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. We must raise our voices. Even a country like the US has banned EVMs," Banerjee said. BJP returned to power with a thumping majority securing 303 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. (With inputs from agencies)

Mamata Banerjee is committed towards saving democracy: Raj Thackeray on use of EVMs in elections

BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said that holding simultaneous national and state elections "appears to be an undemocratic and unconstitutional" idea for a vast country like India as she declined to attend an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

She said that elections in any democracy can never be a problem "nor elections should be weighed from the point of view of expenditure and extravagance".

'One nation, one election' is not an issue before the country, she said. "Elections through ballot papers are actually the national issue and our party will continue its struggle for it."

The BSP president said it was a new drama of the BJP to divert attention from the concerns over "attempts to hijack" democracy through alleged irregularities in the working of electronic voting machine (EVMs).

"Even the idea of one nation, one election for the world's biggest democracy like India, prima facie, appears to be undemocratic and unconstitutional," she said in a party release issued here, asking the BJP to desist from works and mentality that harm constitution and democracy.

Mayawati said she would have attended the all-party meeting called by the prime minister if it was to address a "national concern" over EVMs. She described the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls as a ploy to divert attention from issues like poverty.

Mayawati's comments come on the day an all-party meeting has been convened by Modi to discuss several issues, including the idea of "one nation, one election", the celebration of 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary this year and 75 years of Independence in 2022.

The BSP chief alleged that the people's faith in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) had dwindled to a "worrisome level". 
 
"The stubbornness of conducting elections through electronic voting machines instead of the ballot paper is the real threat to the democracy and Constitution of the country.

"The 'one nation, one election' is, in fact, an attempt to divert the attention from burning national issues such as poverty, inflation, unemployment and increase in violence, and is simply an illusion."

The "one nation, one election", a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha election manifesto, has made the Opposition wary of the prospects.

In August last year, the Law Commission had recommended holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies to save public money.&nbsp;

In its draft recommendations, the commission had said simultaneous polls, with an exception of Jammu and Kashmir, would help the government of the day focus on "developmental activities rather than electioneering".

It, however, cautioned that holding simultaneous elections was not possible within the existing framework of the Constitution. 
 
After Modi addressed a NITI Aayog meeting last week, an official release said, "The Prime Minister called for widespread debate and consultations on simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas, keeping in view various aspects such as the resulting financial savings and consequent better utilisation of resources."

The Niti Aayog had last year suggested synchronised two-phase Lok Sabha and Assembly polls from 2024 to ensure minimum campaign-mode disruption to governance.&nbsp;

BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said that holding simultaneous national and state elections "appears to be an undemocratic and unconstitutional" idea for a vast country like India as she declined to attend an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said that holding simultaneous national and state elections "appears to be an undemocratic and unconstitutional" idea for a vast country like India as she declined to attend an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. She said that elections in any democracy can never be a problem "nor elections should be weighed from the point of view of expenditure and extravagance". 'One nation, one election' is not an issue before the country, she said. "Elections through ballot papers are actually the national issue and our party will continue its struggle for it." The BSP president said it was a new drama of the BJP to divert attention from the concerns over "attempts to hijack" democracy through alleged irregularities in the working of electronic voting machine (EVMs). "Even the idea of one nation, one election for the world's biggest democracy like India, prima facie, appears to be undemocratic and unconstitutional," she said in a party release issued here, asking the BJP to desist from works and mentality that harm constitution and democracy. Mayawati said she would have attended the all-party meeting called by the prime minister if it was to address a "national concern" over EVMs. She described the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls as a ploy to divert attention from issues like poverty. Mayawati's comments come on the day an all-party meeting has been convened by Modi to discuss several issues, including the idea of "one nation, one election", the celebration of 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary this year and 75 years of Independence in 2022. The BSP chief alleged that the people's faith in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) had dwindled to a "worrisome level". "The stubbornness of conducting elections through electronic voting machines instead of the ballot paper is the real threat to the democracy and Constitution of the country. "The 'one nation, one election' is, in fact, an attempt to divert the attention from burning national issues such as poverty, inflation, unemployment and increase in violence, and is simply an illusion." The "one nation, one election", a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha election manifesto, has made the Opposition wary of the prospects. In August last year, the Law Commission had recommended holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies to save public money. In its draft recommendations, the commission had said simultaneous polls, with an exception of Jammu and Kashmir, would help the government of the day focus on "developmental activities rather than electioneering". It, however, cautioned that holding simultaneous elections was not possible within the existing framework of the Constitution. After Modi addressed a NITI Aayog meeting last week, an official release said, "The Prime Minister called for widespread debate and consultations on simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas, keeping in view various aspects such as the resulting financial savings and consequent better utilisation of resources." The Niti Aayog had last year suggested synchronised two-phase Lok Sabha and Assembly polls from 2024 to ensure minimum campaign-mode disruption to governance.

'Would've attended all-party meet if it was about EVMs,' says Mayawati

Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Wednesday said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof and cannot be hacked.

Earlier on Wednesday, the EC rejected the opposition parties'&nbsp;demand that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/election-commission-rejects-oppositions-demand-for-tallying-vvpat-slips-with-evm-220642">VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data</a> first before counting of votes on May 23.

Talking to ANI, Rawat said, "EVMs can't be tampered with. EVM security protocol is so strict whenever a strong room has to be opened, representatives of all political parties have to be there, machines are taken out in their presence."

"A mock poll is also conducted at the polling station where all the polling agents are asked to vote and then count, so all these arrangements ensure transparency in the whole process," he added.

On the possibility of accepting the demand made by 22 political parties, Rawat said, "If there is no utility of this exercise, then why do it? SC in its order has also said that it should be done only at five polling stations in a legislative assembly. That is more than sufficient."

He also said that all institutions are aware of unnecessary complaints filed in a frivolous manner.

Maintaining that no substance was found in past complaints regarding the EVMs, Rawat said, "EVM is a standalone machine which is not connected to the Internet, wifi or even an electricity cable. We even got the VVPAT sample verified by the Indian Statistical Institute which also said that EVMs are completely safe and tamper-proof."

Voting for the general elections, in seven phases, has concluded.&nbsp;The counting of votes will take place on Thursday.

Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Wednesday said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof and cannot be hacked. Earlier on Wednesday, the EC rejected the opposition parties' demand that VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes on May 23.

Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Wednesday said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof and cannot be hacked. Earlier on Wednesday, the EC rejected the opposition parties' demand that VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes on May 23. Talking to ANI, Rawat said, "EVMs can't be tampered with. EVM security protocol is so strict whenever a strong room has to be opened, representatives of all political parties have to be there, machines are taken out in their presence." "A mock poll is also conducted at the polling station where all the polling agents are asked to vote and then count, so all these arrangements ensure transparency in the whole process," he added. On the possibility of accepting the demand made by 22 political parties, Rawat said, "If there is no utility of this exercise, then why do it? SC in its order has also said that it should be done only at five polling stations in a legislative assembly. That is more than sufficient." He also said that all institutions are aware of unnecessary complaints filed in a frivolous manner. Maintaining that no substance was found in past complaints regarding the EVMs, Rawat said, "EVM is a standalone machine which is not connected to the Internet, wifi or even an electricity cable. We even got the VVPAT sample verified by the Indian Statistical Institute which also said that EVMs are completely safe and tamper-proof." Voting for the general elections, in seven phases, has concluded. The counting of votes will take place on Thursday.

EVMs are completely tamper-proof, cannot be hacked: Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat

A day after lauding the Election Commission of India (ECI)&nbsp;&nbsp;for ''perfect conduct of elections'', former president Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said&nbsp;the onus of ensuring institutional integrity of the poll body lies with EC and it must put all speculation to rest.&nbsp;

Mukherjee's statement comes amid reports of &nbsp;EVM tampering.

There can be no room for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/former-president-pranab-mukherjee-hails-election-commission-says-polls-were-conducted-perfectly-220355">speculations that challenges</a> the very basis of our democracy, the former president said and added that people mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt.&nbsp;

A firm believer in our institutions, it is my considered opinion that it's the ''workmen'' who decide how the institutional ''tools'' perform, he added.

Mukherjee expressed concern over alleged EVM tampering and said ''I am concerned over reports of alleged tampering of voters' verdict.''&nbsp;

Safety and security of EVMs is Election Commission's responsibility, he added.&nbsp;

Election Commission is also under fire from opposition parties for being biased.

Mukherjee on Monday lauded the role of the poll panel saying the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were conducted "perfectly".

"You cannot criticise them, it was perfect conduct of elections," he said during a book launch. 
&nbsp;

A day after lauding the Election Commission of India (ECI) for ''perfect conduct of elections'', former president Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the onus of ensuring institutional integrity of the poll body lies with EC and it must put all speculation to rest.

A day after lauding the Election Commission of India (ECI) for ''perfect conduct of elections'', former president Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the onus of ensuring institutional integrity of the poll body lies with EC and it must put all speculation to rest. Mukherjee's statement comes amid reports of EVM tampering. There can be no room for speculations that challenges the very basis of our democracy, the former president said and added that people mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt. A firm believer in our institutions, it is my considered opinion that it's the ''workmen'' who decide how the institutional ''tools'' perform, he added. Mukherjee expressed concern over alleged EVM tampering and said ''I am concerned over reports of alleged tampering of voters' verdict.'' Safety and security of EVMs is Election Commission's responsibility, he added. Election Commission is also under fire from opposition parties for being biased. Mukherjee on Monday lauded the role of the poll panel saying the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were conducted "perfectly". "You cannot criticise them, it was perfect conduct of elections," he said during a book launch.

Now, Pranab Mukherjee expresses concern over alleged EVM tampering

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has slammed exit polls that predict the second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi while raising concerns over the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVM) just ahead of the big Lok Sabha election results.

Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy slams exit polls, Targeted at EVMs

The general elections 2019 is moving towards closure, with six out of seven phases already over. All eyes are now on the counting.

It is not surprising that the issue of counting of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has become hot once again.&nbsp;

The decision to introduce VVPATs as a measure to make electronic voting machines (EVMs) transparent was taken in 2010 when a meeting of all political parties arrived at a consensus that this was the ultimate answer.

Finding the suggestion reasonable, the Election Commission (EC) immediately accepted it and asked the two EVM manufacturers, BEL and ECIL, to design the VVPAT machines. An independent committee of experts consisting of five professors from different IITs was tasked to oversee the design and the manufacturing process.

A series of trials were held, followed by a full-day election simulation in July 2011 in five climatically diverse cities– namely Cherrapunji, Delhi, Jaisalmer, Leh, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Since many bugs were noticed, the trial was repeated after addressing them in July 2012 at exactly the same places. Only after making sure that they were technologically sound and climatically dependable, were the VVPATs initially deployed in 20,000 polling booths successfully. Subsequently, all constituencies were equipped with VVPATs.&nbsp;

In 2013, the Supreme Court also lauded the EC’s decision to use VVPATs and directed the government to release adequate funds for their procurement for the 2019 elections. The machines that kept coming in were randomly deployed. From 2017 onwards, all state elections have been conducted with EVMs attached with VVPATs.

What was the counting procedure? Slips generated by one VVPAT in each assembly constituency were counted. Of the 1,500 machines counted so far, according to the EC, not a single mismatch was found.

In various elections, however, many VVPAT machines malfunctioned. The chief election commissioner (CEC) righty clarified that malfunctioning is different from the rigging.

During the by-elections in Bihar and UP, and the Karnataka assembly elections last year, VVPAT glitches resulted in machine replacement rates of 4 to 20 per cent.

These were largely due to issues in the print unit, which is sensitive to weather. With hardware changes introduced in the machines, the glitches came down to 2 per cent for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections.

While the debate is going on, I had offered an out-of-the-box solution: Let the top two runners up in every constituency choose any two VVPATs to be counted. As they have the highest stake in the results, they will choose the ones they are most suspicious about.

This is analogous to the Decision Review System in the game of cricket, in which two referrals are allowed for each team. Ever since its introduction, violent disputes about the controversial decisions taken by the umpire have all but disappeared.

This would do away with a large random sample being demanded at present, as only four machines will have to be counted per constituency. In case any mismatch is detected, all machines in the constituency must be counted.

In March, as many as 21 opposition parties moved the Supreme Court demanding that 50 per cent of the total slips be tallied. The SC asked the Commission to increase the sample size of the tally from one booth per assembly constituency to five assembly segments of each Lok Sabha constituency “for better voter confidence and credibility of electoral process”.

The court said that the move will ensure the “greatest degree of accuracy and satisfaction” in the electoral process.

On April 24, the same 21 parties approached the SC again with a review petition, citing concerns related to the first two phases of polling and the “unreliability” of the EVMs.

On May 7, it was turned down with the court saying that “we are not inclined to modify our order”.

I wonder how these parties expected the apex to review its decision, which was taken after great deliberation, when no new facts had emerged justifying the return to the court.

Surprisingly, the issue which should have been discussed and debated is still unattended: What happens if the VVPAT count doesn’t match the EVM count? Even one mismatch is enough to create doubts about the other machines as well.

The current provision is that if there is a mismatch, the VVPAT will prevail. This is fine if the mismatch corresponds to the figures of the mock poll, which have not been deleted.

In all other mismatch cases, perhaps all machines in the constituency should then be counted. The apex court has called for “better voter confidence and credibility of the electoral process.”

If it takes time, so be it. After all, that was the purpose behind the introduction of VVPATs. This can be tried out on a pilot basis. There may not be many such cases, if at all, as evident from the experience of 1,500 machines, which didn’t throw up any mismatches, but public confidence will be ensured.&nbsp;

The Commission may convene an all-party meeting, yet again, as concerns are serious and the stakes extremely high. My experience in dealing with political parties is that with open-minded dialogue, consensus does emerge. Clarity of procedures is required before the counting day approaches. Time is running out.

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-the-politician-and-the-machine-2748683">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

The general elections 2019 is moving towards closure, with six out of seven phases already over. All eyes are now on the counting. It is not surprising that the issue of counting of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has become hot once again.

The general elections 2019 is moving towards closure, with six out of seven phases already over. All eyes are now on the counting. It is not surprising that the issue of counting of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has become hot once again. The decision to introduce VVPATs as a measure to make electronic voting machines (EVMs) transparent was taken in 2010 when a meeting of all political parties arrived at a consensus that this was the ultimate answer. Finding the suggestion reasonable, the Election Commission (EC) immediately accepted it and asked the two EVM manufacturers, BEL and ECIL, to design the VVPAT machines. An independent committee of experts consisting of five professors from different IITs was tasked to oversee the design and the manufacturing process. A series of trials were held, followed by a full-day election simulation in July 2011 in five climatically diverse cities– namely Cherrapunji, Delhi, Jaisalmer, Leh, and Thiruvananthapuram. Since many bugs were noticed, the trial was repeated after addressing them in July 2012 at exactly the same places. Only after making sure that they were technologically sound and climatically dependable, were the VVPATs initially deployed in 20,000 polling booths successfully. Subsequently, all constituencies were equipped with VVPATs. In 2013, the Supreme Court also lauded the EC’s decision to use VVPATs and directed the government to release adequate funds for their procurement for the 2019 elections. The machines that kept coming in were randomly deployed. From 2017 onwards, all state elections have been conducted with EVMs attached with VVPATs. What was the counting procedure? Slips generated by one VVPAT in each assembly constituency were counted. Of the 1,500 machines counted so far, according to the EC, not a single mismatch was found. In various elections, however, many VVPAT machines malfunctioned. The chief election commissioner (CEC) righty clarified that malfunctioning is different from the rigging. During the by-elections in Bihar and UP, and the Karnataka assembly elections last year, VVPAT glitches resulted in machine replacement rates of 4 to 20 per cent. These were largely due to issues in the print unit, which is sensitive to weather. With hardware changes introduced in the machines, the glitches came down to 2 per cent for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. While the debate is going on, I had offered an out-of-the-box solution: Let the top two runners up in every constituency choose any two VVPATs to be counted. As they have the highest stake in the results, they will choose the ones they are most suspicious about. This is analogous to the Decision Review System in the game of cricket, in which two referrals are allowed for each team. Ever since its introduction, violent disputes about the controversial decisions taken by the umpire have all but disappeared. This would do away with a large random sample being demanded at present, as only four machines will have to be counted per constituency. In case any mismatch is detected, all machines in the constituency must be counted. In March, as many as 21 opposition parties moved the Supreme Court demanding that 50 per cent of the total slips be tallied. The SC asked the Commission to increase the sample size of the tally from one booth per assembly constituency to five assembly segments of each Lok Sabha constituency “for better voter confidence and credibility of electoral process”. The court said that the move will ensure the “greatest degree of accuracy and satisfaction” in the electoral process. On April 24, the same 21 parties approached the SC again with a review petition, citing concerns related to the first two phases of polling and the “unreliability” of the EVMs. On May 7, it was turned down with the court saying that “we are not inclined to modify our order”. I wonder how these parties expected the apex to review its decision, which was taken after great deliberation, when no new facts had emerged justifying the return to the court. Surprisingly, the issue which should have been discussed and debated is still unattended: What happens if the VVPAT count doesn’t match the EVM count? Even one mismatch is enough to create doubts about the other machines as well. The current provision is that if there is a mismatch, the VVPAT will prevail. This is fine if the mismatch corresponds to the figures of the mock poll, which have not been deleted. In all other mismatch cases, perhaps all machines in the constituency should then be counted. The apex court has called for “better voter confidence and credibility of the electoral process.” If it takes time, so be it. After all, that was the purpose behind the introduction of VVPATs. This can be tried out on a pilot basis. There may not be many such cases, if at all, as evident from the experience of 1,500 machines, which didn’t throw up any mismatches, but public confidence will be ensured. The Commission may convene an all-party meeting, yet again, as concerns are serious and the stakes extremely high. My experience in dealing with political parties is that with open-minded dialogue, consensus does emerge. Clarity of procedures is required before the counting day approaches. Time is running out. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

What happens if the VVPAT count doesn’t match the EVM count?

Supreme Court rejects review plea filed by twenty-one Opposition parties seeking a direction to increase VVPAT verification from five to at least 50% of EVMs during counting of votes in the general elections 2019.

Supreme Court dismissed Opposition's plea seeking verification 50% of votes using VVPAT slips

Supreme Court rejects Opposition review plea on 50% VVPAT verification

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has said — categorically — that the Election Commission is going to continue to use electronic voting machines. He added that they would <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/evm-hacking-claim-centre-alleges-congress-organised-hackathon-in-london-opposition-calls-for-switch-to-ballot-box-191969">not be "bullied" or "intimidated" into using ballot papers</a>.&nbsp;

Arora made his comments at an event in Delhi.&nbsp;

"I would like to make it very clear that we are not going back to the era of ballot papers," he said.&nbsp;

"We will continue to use EVMs (electronic voting machines) and VVPATs (voter-verified paper audit trail," he added. &nbsp;

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CEC Sunil Arora in Delhi: We will continue to use EVMs &amp; VVPATs. We are open to any criticism &amp; feedback from any stakeholder including political parties. At the same time, we are not going to be intimidated, bullied or coerced into giving up these and start era of ballot papers. <a href="https://t.co/bco5DOSfTd">pic.twitter.com/bco5DOSfTd</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1088306788225744896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"We are open to any criticism and feedback from any stakeholder including political parties. At the same time, we are not going to be intimidated, bullied or coerced into giving up these and start era of ballot papers," Arora said.&nbsp;

There has been a long history of criticism of EVMs in India, especially so since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. (The criticism however has never been backed up by solid proof.)&nbsp;

In 2017, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had dared the Election Commission to give him any EVM, saying he would hack it in 90 seconds.&nbsp;

And only this week, a self-proclaimed cyber expert, Syed Shuja, called a hackathon in London.&nbsp;

Shuja made a series of sensational claims in London, including that EVMs were hacked in the 2014 general elections and that&nbsp;senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde was "murdered" before he could expose the alleged crime.&nbsp;

The BJP has said the hackathon was sponsored by the Congress since party leader Kapil Sibal had attended it.&nbsp;

Despite the lack of proof offered by Shuja, a number of leaders including the BSP's Mayawati, the SP's Akhilesh Yadav, and the TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu have called for the junking of the EVMs and a return to ballot papers.&nbsp;

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has said — categorically — that the Election Commission is going to continue to use electronic voting machines. He added that they would not be "bullied" or "intimidated" into using ballot papers.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has said — categorically — that the Election Commission is going to continue to use electronic voting machines. He added that they would not be "bullied" or "intimidated" into using ballot papers. Arora made his comments at an event in Delhi. "I would like to make it very clear that we are not going back to the era of ballot papers," he said. "We will continue to use EVMs (electronic voting machines) and VVPATs (voter-verified paper audit trail," he added. CEC Sunil Arora in Delhi: We will continue to use EVMs & VVPATs. We are open to any criticism & feedback from any stakeholder including political parties. At the same time, we are not going to be intimidated, bullied or coerced into giving up these and start era of ballot papers. pic.twitter.com/bco5DOSfTd — ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2019 × "We are open to any criticism and feedback from any stakeholder including political parties. At the same time, we are not going to be intimidated, bullied or coerced into giving up these and start era of ballot papers," Arora said. There has been a long history of criticism of EVMs in India, especially so since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. (The criticism however has never been backed up by solid proof.) In 2017, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had dared the Election Commission to give him any EVM, saying he would hack it in 90 seconds. And only this week, a self-proclaimed cyber expert, Syed Shuja, called a hackathon in London. Shuja made a series of sensational claims in London, including that EVMs were hacked in the 2014 general elections and that senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde was "murdered" before he could expose the alleged crime. The BJP has said the hackathon was sponsored by the Congress since party leader Kapil Sibal had attended it. Despite the lack of proof offered by Shuja, a number of leaders including the BSP's Mayawati, the SP's Akhilesh Yadav, and the TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu have called for the junking of the EVMs and a return to ballot papers.

Election Commission will not be 'bullied, intimidated' into going back to ballot papers: CEC

Gravitas: US based cyber expert claims EVMs hackable

Braving heavy rains, people turned out in large numbers to cast their franchise on Monday&nbsp;morning today as bypoll in the Chengannur Assembly constituency began.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala state assembly, Ramesh Chennithalawas among the early voters in the constituency, which had witnessed a fierce contest between all the three fronts in the run-up to the polls.

While CPM's Saji Cheriyan, the party's Alappuzha district secretary, is the candidate of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress leader D Vijayakumar is the United Democratic Front (UDF) nominee.

Former BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai, is testing his luck once again from the constituency.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA K K Ramachandran Nair (CPM) in January this year due to illness.&nbsp;The outcome of the bypoll is widely seen as a referendum of the performance of the Pinarayi Vijayan led government in the state and Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

The nearly two-month-long electioneering witnessed an unparalleled fierce campaign by the fronts, who used all means to launch attacks against each other.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA K K Ramachandran Nair (CPM) in January this year due to illness.

Braving heavy rains, people turned out in large numbers to cast their franchise on Monday morning today as bypoll in the Chengannur Assembly constituency began. Leader of Opposition in the Kerala state assembly, Ramesh Chennithalawas among the early voters in the constituency, which had witnessed a fierce contest between all the three fronts in the run-up to the polls. While CPM's Saji Cheriyan, the party's Alappuzha district secretary, is the candidate of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress leader D Vijayakumar is the United Democratic Front (UDF) nominee. Former BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai, is testing his luck once again from the constituency. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA K K Ramachandran Nair (CPM) in January this year due to illness. The outcome of the bypoll is widely seen as a referendum of the performance of the Pinarayi Vijayan led government in the state and Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The nearly two-month-long electioneering witnessed an unparalleled fierce campaign by the fronts, who used all means to launch attacks against each other.

Bypolls: Despite rain, large voter turnout in Chengannur Assembly constituency

Opposition parties and the ruling BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission claiming "hundreds" of EVMs and paper trail machines deployed for Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly bypolls developed snags and were not replaced for hours.

But the Election Commission termed as "exaggerated projection of reality" reports of 'large scale' failure of EVMs during Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and said adequate number of reserve machines are provided for any eventuality.

Sources in the poll panel did say that shoddy handling of VVPAT machines by the ground staff, especially when the temperature is high, led to their heating, resulting in their malfunctioning.

SP leader Ramgopal Yadav and RLD chief Ajit Singh along with others met top EC officials claiming that the faulty EVMs were not replaced on time.

The leaders demanded that repoll should be announced in polling stations where EVMs were not replaced for over one-and-a-half hours. At polling stations where EVMs were replaced within one-and-a-half hours, additional time should be granted to voters to exercise their franchise, they told reporters after meeting the EC.

They alleged that poll officials "took their own time" in replacing EVMs in rural areas, the base of their voters. The EVMs were, however, replaced with alacrity in urban areas.

A BJP delegation, including general secretaries Bhupender Yadav and Arun Singh besides its media head Anil Baluni, informed the Election Commission that EVM machines were dysfunctional for a long period in 197 booths in Kairana and Noorpur.

Yadav told reporters that they urged the EC to hold repolling in booths were election process was severely affected.

They asked the EC to send observers to identify such booths and also find out reasons for EVM malfunction.

Concerns were also raised about the functioning of paper trail (VVPAT) machines. Sources in the EC noted that failure on part of the ground staff led to heating of the machines.

An official said those who skipped training programmes and "spent time on their phones during training sessions" placed the machines at places where 'heat sensitive' nature of the device created problems.

A poll panel spokesperson later said a joint delegation of the RLD, SP and Congress and a separate delegation of BJP representatives met the EC and brought to its notice concerns about functioning of VVPAT machines in some of the polling booths in bypolls today.

"The Commission assured them that all necessary action will be taken on issues raised. They were also assured that the concerns related to VVPAT have been verified on ground and appropriate actions have been taken by the District Election teams. The Commission has also informed that on the basis of reports of RO, DEO and Observers, further action will be taken."

The EC said voters who have queued up outside polling stations will be allowed to cast votes despite end of polling hours.

But in a statement, poll panel denied that the failure of the voting machines was unusual.

"... the Commission allocates sufficient reserve of EVMs and VVPATs for every general and by election to the Lok Sabha or state assembly.

"It is pertinent to mention that during commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs, apart from EVMs and VVPATs required for deployment at every polling station, adequate number of reserve EVMs and VVPATs (around 20-25 per cent) are prepared to replace any defective machine on poll day at the polling station," it said.

It said the reserve EVMs/VVPATs are kept with sector officers, who replace the defective EVMs/VVPATs. Since each sector officer is entrusted with only 10-12 polling stations, the time taken to replace any EVM/VVPAT is normally less than 30 minutes.

"The replacement of defective EVMs/VVPATs during actual polls is a normal process and does not vitiate the integrity or credibility of the poll process in any way whatsoever," the statement read.

The poll panel also rejected reports that polling was cancelled in 35 booths in Bhandara-Gondiya LS constituency in Maharashtra.&nbsp

"Also, the reports emerging in some quarters about EVMs/VVPATs failing in 25 per cent polling booths in the same constituency are also incorrect. It is clarified that voting has not been cancelled in any polling station in Bhandara-Gondiya constituency and voting is continuing smoothly after necessary replacements," it said.

As and when a report from poll officials regarding long interruption of polling is received, the Commission takes a decision on those matters on case to case basis, it said.

"The Commission undertakes a comprehensive examination and root-cause analysis of all defects observed in the machines through the Technical Experts Committee of the Commission and necessary remedial actions are being taken for smooth conduct of poll process," the statement added.&nbsp

Parties said that EVMs and paper trail machines in UP developed snags and were not replaced for hours.

Opposition parties and the ruling BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission claiming "hundreds" of EVMs and paper trail machines deployed for Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly bypolls developed snags and were not replaced for hours. But the Election Commission termed as "exaggerated projection of reality" reports of 'large scale' failure of EVMs during Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and said adequate number of reserve machines are provided for any eventuality. Sources in the poll panel did say that shoddy handling of VVPAT machines by the ground staff, especially when the temperature is high, led to their heating, resulting in their malfunctioning. SP leader Ramgopal Yadav and RLD chief Ajit Singh along with others met top EC officials claiming that the faulty EVMs were not replaced on time. The leaders demanded that repoll should be announced in polling stations where EVMs were not replaced for over one-and-a-half hours. At polling stations where EVMs were replaced within one-and-a-half hours, additional time should be granted to voters to exercise their franchise, they told reporters after meeting the EC. They alleged that poll officials "took their own time" in replacing EVMs in rural areas, the base of their voters. The EVMs were, however, replaced with alacrity in urban areas. A BJP delegation, including general secretaries Bhupender Yadav and Arun Singh besides its media head Anil Baluni, informed the Election Commission that EVM machines were dysfunctional for a long period in 197 booths in Kairana and Noorpur. Yadav told reporters that they urged the EC to hold repolling in booths were election process was severely affected. They asked the EC to send observers to identify such booths and also find out reasons for EVM malfunction. Concerns were also raised about the functioning of paper trail (VVPAT) machines. Sources in the EC noted that failure on part of the ground staff led to heating of the machines. An official said those who skipped training programmes and "spent time on their phones during training sessions" placed the machines at places where 'heat sensitive' nature of the device created problems. A poll panel spokesperson later said a joint delegation of the RLD, SP and Congress and a separate delegation of BJP representatives met the EC and brought to its notice concerns about functioning of VVPAT machines in some of the polling booths in bypolls today. "The Commission assured them that all necessary action will be taken on issues raised. They were also assured that the concerns related to VVPAT have been verified on ground and appropriate actions have been taken by the District Election teams. The Commission has also informed that on the basis of reports of RO, DEO and Observers, further action will be taken." The EC said voters who have queued up outside polling stations will be allowed to cast votes despite end of polling hours. But in a statement, poll panel denied that the failure of the voting machines was unusual. "... the Commission allocates sufficient reserve of EVMs and VVPATs for every general and by election to the Lok Sabha or state assembly. "It is pertinent to mention that during commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs, apart from EVMs and VVPATs required for deployment at every polling station, adequate number of reserve EVMs and VVPATs (around 20-25 per cent) are prepared to replace any defective machine on poll day at the polling station," it said. It said the reserve EVMs/VVPATs are kept with sector officers, who replace the defective EVMs/VVPATs. Since each sector officer is entrusted with only 10-12 polling stations, the time taken to replace any EVM/VVPAT is normally less than 30 minutes. "The replacement of defective EVMs/VVPATs during actual polls is a normal process and does not vitiate the integrity or credibility of the poll process in any way whatsoever," the statement read. The poll panel also rejected reports that polling was cancelled in 35 booths in Bhandara-Gondiya LS constituency in Maharashtra. "Also, the reports emerging in some quarters about EVMs/VVPATs failing in 25 per cent polling booths in the same constituency are also incorrect. It is clarified that voting has not been cancelled in any polling station in Bhandara-Gondiya constituency and voting is continuing smoothly after necessary replacements," it said. As and when a report from poll officials regarding long interruption of polling is received, the Commission takes a decision on those matters on case to case basis, it said. "The Commission undertakes a comprehensive examination and root-cause analysis of all defects observed in the machines through the Technical Experts Committee of the Commission and necessary remedial actions are being taken for smooth conduct of poll process," the statement added.

Parties say EVMs, VVPATs malfunctioned; EC says reports exaggerated

&nbsp;Th<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/vvpats-to-be-used-in-all-future-elections-indias-election-commission-15508">e Election Commission of India(ECI) </a>had told&nbsp;the Supreme Court that convicted MPs and MLAs should be banned from contesting elections.

The Election Commission <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/explained-why-election-commission-believes-evms-in-india-are-hack-proof-14490">said that it had written to the government to amend</a> the law in this regard.

However, the government differed from Election Commission, insisting before the top court that a 6 year-disqualification served the purpose.

In July, India&#39;s top court had rapped the ECI for not taking a clear stand on a plea seeking barring convicted politicians for life, declaring that the election body could not remain silent on the matter.

&ldquo;Is silence an option for you (ECI)? You must say either &lsquo;yes&rsquo; or &lsquo;no&rsquo; on whether you are supporting the petitioner. You are the ECI and here is a citizen of India who has come here to seek lifetime debarment of convicted persons. Can you say I will be silent? No, you cannot,&rdquo; the bench had said.

&ldquo;If you (ECI) feel constrained by the legislature, then let us know. If you are even constrained to the extent of giving your view, feel free and say so clearly,&rdquo; it said.

The Centre, in its affidavit, had said the prayer sought by the petitioner seeking lifetime bar on convicted lawmakers was not maintainable and the plea should be dismissed.&nbsp;

However, the ECI affidavit said it was in favour of setting up special courts to decide the criminal cases related to people&rsquo;s representatives, public servants and members of the judiciary, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution.

The affidavit was filed in response to a PIL which is also seeking setting up special courts for trial of criminal cases against people from the legislature, executive and judiciary.&nbsp;

The poll panel had said the issues raised by the petitioner were &ldquo;not adversarial&rdquo;.

The Election Commission said that it had written to the government to amend the law in this regard

The Election Commission of India(ECI) had told the Supreme Court that convicted MPs and MLAs should be banned from contesting elections. The Election Commission said that it had written to the government to amend the law in this regard. However, the government differed from Election Commission, insisting before the top court that a 6 year-disqualification served the purpose. In July, India's top court had rapped the ECI for not taking a clear stand on a plea seeking barring convicted politicians for life, declaring that the election body could not remain silent on the matter. “Is silence an option for you (ECI)? You must say either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on whether you are supporting the petitioner. You are the ECI and here is a citizen of India who has come here to seek lifetime debarment of convicted persons. Can you say I will be silent? No, you cannot,” the bench had said. “If you (ECI) feel constrained by the legislature, then let us know. If you are even constrained to the extent of giving your view, feel free and say so clearly,” it said. The Centre, in its affidavit, had said the prayer sought by the petitioner seeking lifetime bar on convicted lawmakers was not maintainable and the plea should be dismissed. However, the ECI affidavit said it was in favour of setting up special courts to decide the criminal cases related to people’s representatives, public servants and members of the judiciary, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution. The affidavit was filed in response to a PIL which is also seeking setting up special courts for trial of criminal cases against people from the legislature, executive and judiciary. The poll panel had said the issues raised by the petitioner were “not adversarial”.

Life ban for convicted MPs, MLAs: Election Commission to Supreme Court

The challenge to prove that EVMs can be tampered with will start from June 3, the Election Commission announced today, asserting that the machines are tamper-proof. 
 
The announcement came over a week after the Election Commission threw down the gauntlet to political parties to prove that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) used in the recent assembly polls were tampered with. 
 
&quot;The EVM challenge will start from June 3,&quot; Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said, addressing a press conference. 
 
He said people who had questioned reliability of EVMs have not yet submitted any proof or credible material to support their claim. 
 
Zaidi said replacement of the internal circuit of EVMs is not possible at all. 
 
&quot;Our EVMs have strong technological features and are tamper-proof,&quot; he said. 
 
Zaidi rubbished the Aam Aadmi Party&#39;s claim that EVMs could be tampered with, and said no manipulation of the machines is possible. 
 
He also said that improving the election process is a responsibility of all stakeholders and the EC is taking all necessary steps in this regard. 
 
Several major opposition parties had claimed that the faith of people in the machines has eroded. 
 
The BSP and AAP had alleged that the machines used in the recent assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab were tampered with and favoured the BJP. Later, several other parties had joined the chorus and waned the EC to revert to paper ballots. 
 
The EC has already announced that it will ensure paper trail of voting in all future elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

(PTI)

This comes after several political parties have questioned the reliability of the voting machines (EVMs) used in Indian elections. The EVM challenge will start on June 3.

The challenge to prove that EVMs can be tampered with will start from June 3, the Election Commission announced today, asserting that the machines are tamper-proof. The announcement came over a week after the Election Commission threw down the gauntlet to political parties to prove that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) used in the recent assembly polls were tampered with. "The EVM challenge will start from June 3," Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said, addressing a press conference. He said people who had questioned reliability of EVMs have not yet submitted any proof or credible material to support their claim. Zaidi said replacement of the internal circuit of EVMs is not possible at all. "Our EVMs have strong technological features and are tamper-proof," he said. Zaidi rubbished the Aam Aadmi Party's claim that EVMs could be tampered with, and said no manipulation of the machines is possible. He also said that improving the election process is a responsibility of all stakeholders and the EC is taking all necessary steps in this regard. Several major opposition parties had claimed that the faith of people in the machines has eroded. The BSP and AAP had alleged that the machines used in the recent assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab were tampered with and favoured the BJP. Later, several other parties had joined the chorus and waned the EC to revert to paper ballots. The EC has already announced that it will ensure paper trail of voting in all future elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. (PTI)

Fidelity of Indian voting machines to come under scanner next month

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a live demonstration of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail System (VVPATs) today&nbsp;in Delhi.

It will also hold a press conference on the &quot; EVM Challenge&quot;.

Earlier this week, the poll panel had said it would offer an &quot;opportunity&quot;&nbsp;to the political parties to prove that EVMs used in the recently-held assembly polls were tampered with or can be tampered even with laid down safeguards.

The poll body also convened an all-party meeting over the issue of EVM and other electoral reforms.

In its communication to the presidents of all the seven national and 48 state political parties, the poll panel sent a status paper on EVMs and VVPATs.

Last month,&nbsp;16 opposition parties had urged the Election Commission to revert to the paper ballot system saying that the alleged tampering has created trust deficit in the credibility of the EVMs.

However,&nbsp;the poll body has been maintaining that EVMs are tamper-proof and cannot be manipulated.

The federal cabinet had given its nod to sanctioned funds of nearly Rs&nbsp;3,200 crore to procure more than 16 lakh VVPATs as sought by the Election Commission.

Besides EVMs, the meeting is expected to deliberate on making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, disqualification on framing of charges for the offences of bribery in elections and suggestions in VVPAT recount Rules.

On Tuesday, the AAP, during a special session of the Delhi assembly, conducted a live demonstration on how EVMs can be tampered with.

Reacting to the demonstration, the poll panel said the machine used to conduct live demonstration was a &#39;look-alike&#39;&#39; which was made to function in a &#39;tampered&#39; manner.

A day before the all-party meeting, the AAP yesterday forwarded a new demand, calling for an all party committee to be formed under the monitoring of the Election Commission to ascertain whether EVMS were hacked in the recently held elections or not.

&nbsp;(ANI) 
&nbsp;

The poll body has been maintaining that EVMs are tamper-proof and cannot be manipulated

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a live demonstration of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail System (VVPATs) today in Delhi. It will also hold a press conference on the " EVM Challenge". Earlier this week, the poll panel had said it would offer an "opportunity" to the political parties to prove that EVMs used in the recently-held assembly polls were tampered with or can be tampered even with laid down safeguards. The poll body also convened an all-party meeting over the issue of EVM and other electoral reforms. In its communication to the presidents of all the seven national and 48 state political parties, the poll panel sent a status paper on EVMs and VVPATs. Last month, 16 opposition parties had urged the Election Commission to revert to the paper ballot system saying that the alleged tampering has created trust deficit in the credibility of the EVMs. However, the poll body has been maintaining that EVMs are tamper-proof and cannot be manipulated. The federal cabinet had given its nod to sanctioned funds of nearly Rs 3,200 crore to procure more than 16 lakh VVPATs as sought by the Election Commission. Besides EVMs, the meeting is expected to deliberate on making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, disqualification on framing of charges for the offences of bribery in elections and suggestions in VVPAT recount Rules. On Tuesday, the AAP, during a special session of the Delhi assembly, conducted a live demonstration on how EVMs can be tampered with. Reacting to the demonstration, the poll panel said the machine used to conduct live demonstration was a 'look-alike'' which was made to function in a 'tampered' manner. A day before the all-party meeting, the AAP yesterday forwarded a new demand, calling for an all party committee to be formed under the monitoring of the Election Commission to ascertain whether EVMS were hacked in the recently held elections or not. (ANI)

India's Election Commission to hold live demo of EVMs, VVPATs today amid tampering allegations

Opposition parties blaming electronic voting machines (EVMs)&nbsp;for their poll loss underlines their desperation and lack of issues against the BJP, its national president Amit Shah said Saturday,&nbsp;noting that EVMs were never questioned when they won.

Questioning the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs) amounted to openly disrespecting the Election Commission, he said in his inaugural address at the two-day national executive meet of the BJP here.

&quot;Opposition parties are in desperation following our win. They have no issue against us. They are not admitting their defeat and instead blaming EVMs,&quot; he said.

Shah wondered if the UPA had not won in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls when EVMs were used or if the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had swept the Delhi assembly polls in 2015 due to use of ballot papers.

The BJP chief also referred to the Congress&#39;s victory in the Punjab assembly polls to make his point.

Briefing reporters on Shah&#39;s speech, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Election Commission has already come out with an open hacking challenge and let people know if Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, who has alleged EVM tempering, was a &quot;hacking expert&quot;.

He said all elections since 1998 were held with the use of EVMs.

Asked about a book written by BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao who had questioned the reliability of EVMs, Prasad said his book is not the official view of his party and it was written long back when the UPA was in power.

Asked about BSP chief Mayawati&#39;s assertion that she would join hands with other parties to take on the BJP, Prasad said the country&#39;s politics has changed and even if all parties came together they would not be able to defeat the saffron party.

&quot;If you analyse the UP election, the BJP would have even if other parties were together,&quot; Prasad said.

Shah in his address also referred to the Shunglu Committee report, which has indicted the Kejriwal government on alleged corruption charges, and said there cannot be a bigger example of lack of probity.

He exhorted party leaders to work to realise the Modi government&#39;s dream of a &#39;New India&#39;.

The central government has also given Padma awards for the first time to many little-known people doing good work in different field and made selection process transparent, he said, while also lauding it for the passage of the GST bills.

The chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur Yogi Adityanath, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Biren Singh, respectively attended their first national executive since assuming their new roles.

They were congratulated by party leaders and workers for their new assignment, especially, Adityanatha, the fiery Hindutva mascot, for taking charge of the politically crucial and country&#39;s most populous state. 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Questioning the integrity of EVMs amounted to openly disrespecting the Election Commission, Amit Shah said at the national executive meet

Opposition parties blaming electronic voting machines (EVMs) for their poll loss underlines their desperation and lack of issues against the BJP, its national president Amit Shah said Saturday, noting that EVMs were never questioned when they won. Questioning the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs) amounted to openly disrespecting the Election Commission, he said in his inaugural address at the two-day national executive meet of the BJP here. "Opposition parties are in desperation following our win. They have no issue against us. They are not admitting their defeat and instead blaming EVMs," he said. Shah wondered if the UPA had not won in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls when EVMs were used or if the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had swept the Delhi assembly polls in 2015 due to use of ballot papers. The BJP chief also referred to the Congress's victory in the Punjab assembly polls to make his point. Briefing reporters on Shah's speech, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Election Commission has already come out with an open hacking challenge and let people know if Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, who has alleged EVM tempering, was a "hacking expert". He said all elections since 1998 were held with the use of EVMs. Asked about a book written by BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao who had questioned the reliability of EVMs, Prasad said his book is not the official view of his party and it was written long back when the UPA was in power. Asked about BSP chief Mayawati's assertion that she would join hands with other parties to take on the BJP, Prasad said the country's politics has changed and even if all parties came together they would not be able to defeat the saffron party. "If you analyse the UP election, the BJP would have even if other parties were together," Prasad said. Shah in his address also referred to the Shunglu Committee report, which has indicted the Kejriwal government on alleged corruption charges, and said there cannot be a bigger example of lack of probity. He exhorted party leaders to work to realise the Modi government's dream of a 'New India'. The central government has also given Padma awards for the first time to many little-known people doing good work in different field and made selection process transparent, he said, while also lauding it for the passage of the GST bills. The chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur Yogi Adityanath, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Biren Singh, respectively attended their first national executive since assuming their new roles. They were congratulated by party leaders and workers for their new assignment, especially, Adityanatha, the fiery Hindutva mascot, for taking charge of the politically crucial and country's most populous state. (PTI)

Parties blaming EVMs for poll loss shows their desperation, says BJP president Amit Shah

There has been a growing concern around the use and reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in India. 
The debate has become so fiercely polarised that it has left a group of political parties and the Election Commission divided into two.

Political parties have been alleging that EVMs continue to be tampered with in elections, and therefore, they are urging the Election Commission to revert to the paper ballot system in future elections. The Election Commission, on the other hand, is confident of the purported hack-proof technology behind these machines. So much that the ECI has thrown an &quot;open challenge&quot; daring experts, technocrats, scientists and citizens to hack into their voting machines.

While unverified videos on the Internet, rumour mongers and other speculations have fuelled that EVMs can be tampered with, there is no concrete evidence to validate such claims. Instead, the ECI aims to explain how these machines are hack-proof and why EVMs used in India cannot be compared with the ones used abroad.

As explained by the ECI, we bring you the technology behind EVMs in India. It will help you in getting a better understanding of vulnerabilities of these machines and their hacking possibilities, if any.

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in India consists of two units - a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit, which is joined by a five-metre cable. The Control Unit is with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer and the Balloting Unit is kept inside the voting compartment. The Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit presses the Ballot Button, and this, in turn, enables the voter to cast his vote by pressing the blue button on the Balloting Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice.

As ECI explains, the EVM in India is a fully standalone machine and is not connected to any network. And therefore, there is no provision for any input. In other words, these electronic voting machines cannot be remotely accessed by hackers - which generally happens in other hacking incidents where machines are connected to the Internet.

In addition to that, the software in the ECI-EVM chip is one time programmable and is burnt into the chip at the time of manufacture. Nothing can be written on the chip after it is manufactured. The microchip used in EVMs is sealed at the time of import. There is, therefore, no chance of programming the EVMs in a particular way to select any particular candidate or political party, claims the Election Commission of India.

Unlike in India, most of the systems used in other countries are PC-based and run on operating systems. Hence, those machines could be vulnerable to hacking. ECI, therefore, believes that no comparison can be made between EVMs used in India and the ones used in foreign countries.

Also, the EVMs in India are programmed in such a way that the machines can record only five votes in a minute. So even if these machines are forcibly taken away by miscreants, they can record only a maximum of 150 votes in half-an-hour. And chances are that by that time, appropriate measures would have been taken and police reinforcement would have arrived.

(WION)

EVMs in India are standalone machines and are not connected to any network

There has been a growing concern around the use and reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in India. The debate has become so fiercely polarised that it has left a group of political parties and the Election Commission divided into two. Political parties have been alleging that EVMs continue to be tampered with in elections, and therefore, they are urging the Election Commission to revert to the paper ballot system in future elections. The Election Commission, on the other hand, is confident of the purported hack-proof technology behind these machines. So much that the ECI has thrown an "open challenge" daring experts, technocrats, scientists and citizens to hack into their voting machines. While unverified videos on the Internet, rumour mongers and other speculations have fuelled that EVMs can be tampered with, there is no concrete evidence to validate such claims. Instead, the ECI aims to explain how these machines are hack-proof and why EVMs used in India cannot be compared with the ones used abroad. As explained by the ECI, we bring you the technology behind EVMs in India. It will help you in getting a better understanding of vulnerabilities of these machines and their hacking possibilities, if any. An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in India consists of two units - a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit, which is joined by a five-metre cable. The Control Unit is with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer and the Balloting Unit is kept inside the voting compartment. The Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit presses the Ballot Button, and this, in turn, enables the voter to cast his vote by pressing the blue button on the Balloting Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice. As ECI explains, the EVM in India is a fully standalone machine and is not connected to any network. And therefore, there is no provision for any input. In other words, these electronic voting machines cannot be remotely accessed by hackers - which generally happens in other hacking incidents where machines are connected to the Internet. In addition to that, the software in the ECI-EVM chip is one time programmable and is burnt into the chip at the time of manufacture. Nothing can be written on the chip after it is manufactured. The microchip used in EVMs is sealed at the time of import. There is, therefore, no chance of programming the EVMs in a particular way to select any particular candidate or political party, claims the Election Commission of India. Unlike in India, most of the systems used in other countries are PC-based and run on operating systems. Hence, those machines could be vulnerable to hacking. ECI, therefore, believes that no comparison can be made between EVMs used in India and the ones used in foreign countries. Also, the EVMs in India are programmed in such a way that the machines can record only five votes in a minute. So even if these machines are forcibly taken away by miscreants, they can record only a maximum of 150 votes in half-an-hour. And chances are that by that time, appropriate measures would have been taken and police reinforcement would have arrived. (WION)

Explained: Why Election Commission believes EVMs in India are hack-proof

The municipal election in Delhi should be &quot;postponed&quot; so that it can be held using ballot papers, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday&nbsp;said, three weeks before the polls.

Kejriwal had made the demand right after the Punjab state polls results were announced, questioning the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs). But it was rejected by Lt Governor Anil Baijal who cited &quot;time constraints&quot; to effect any change in mode of polling.

On the Election Commission asking the AAP to &quot;introspect&quot; on the reasons behind its performance in Punjab, Kejriwal&#39;s caustic response was that he was considering including the EC in his party&#39;s decision-making body, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

Addressing a press conference at his residence, Kejriwal alleged &quot;widepsread tampering&quot; of EVMs and claimed VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines from Uttar Pradesh were being brought to conduct the Rajouri Garden bypoll.

&quot;MCD polls should be held using paper ballots. It should be postponed if time is required to do that,&quot; he told reporters.

The State Election Commission has already declared that the municipal polls will be held on April 23.

&quot;This goes against the norm that EVMs used in one election cannot be used in another for at least 45 days,&quot; the Delhi chief minister&nbsp;said.

He has also written to the EC claiming that &quot;our experts&quot; will prove that the voting machines can be tampered with. &quot;I challenge the ECI to give us 72 hours to prove it&quot;.

The AAP chief said in light of reports that even VVPAT machines were not reliable, ballot papers were the &quot;only safe option&quot;, which, he said, has been adopted by many western countries.

&quot;The microchips inside the EVMs can be fiddled with. Sophisticated software is being used to do that. But not all machines are tampered, the critical ones are,&quot; Kejriwal claimed without elaborating further.

He also questioned the EC for using EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Govind Nagar for conducting bypolls in Madhya Pradesh&#39;s Bhind.

At Bhind, VVPAT-enabled EVMs were found printing the BJP&#39;s poll symbol irrespective of the button pressed during a mock trial, which the opposition parties had latched on to.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

 
&nbsp;

Kejriwal wants the civic polls in Delhi to be postponed so that they can be held using ballot papers

The municipal election in Delhi should be "postponed" so that it can be held using ballot papers, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday said, three weeks before the polls. Kejriwal had made the demand right after the Punjab state polls results were announced, questioning the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs). But it was rejected by Lt Governor Anil Baijal who cited "time constraints" to effect any change in mode of polling. On the Election Commission asking the AAP to "introspect" on the reasons behind its performance in Punjab, Kejriwal's caustic response was that he was considering including the EC in his party's decision-making body, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC). Addressing a press conference at his residence, Kejriwal alleged "widepsread tampering" of EVMs and claimed VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines from Uttar Pradesh were being brought to conduct the Rajouri Garden bypoll. "MCD polls should be held using paper ballots. It should be postponed if time is required to do that," he told reporters. The State Election Commission has already declared that the municipal polls will be held on April 23. "This goes against the norm that EVMs used in one election cannot be used in another for at least 45 days," the Delhi chief minister said. He has also written to the EC claiming that "our experts" will prove that the voting machines can be tampered with. "I challenge the ECI to give us 72 hours to prove it". The AAP chief said in light of reports that even VVPAT machines were not reliable, ballot papers were the "only safe option", which, he said, has been adopted by many western countries. "The microchips inside the EVMs can be fiddled with. Sophisticated software is being used to do that. But not all machines are tampered, the critical ones are," Kejriwal claimed without elaborating further. He also questioned the EC for using EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh's Govind Nagar for conducting bypolls in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind. At Bhind, VVPAT-enabled EVMs were found printing the BJP's poll symbol irrespective of the button pressed during a mock trial, which the opposition parties had latched on to. (PTI)

Delhi chief minister alleges 'widespread tampering' of EVMs, wants civic polls postponed

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