Amid Opposition's allegations that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are vulnerable to hacking, the Election Commission will demonstrate the use of EVMs and voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines on Saturday, when the date of the electoral watchdog's open challenge to technocrats and political parties is also likely to be decided.
It is expected that EC could by May end or first week of June throw the challenge to political parties to tamper its EVMs. In a related development, the EC has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on ‘Electoral Reforms’ that its EVMs are secured and it cannot be tampered.
"Prof Rajat Moona of C-DAC led a team of technical experts who gave a final touch to the modalities of hackathon. The Commission will brief representatives of political parties about what procedures would be adopted for the hackathon," said the sources.
As per the modalities finalised by the EC, sources said the leaders of the Opposition parties would be invited separately to randomly select any EVM used in any booth in the Assembly polls. They could also send their representatives to see the live demonstration of the functioning of the voting machines.
Then, the leader, along with, the representatives of the poll panel will be sent to the particular State to get the EVM of their choice. It will be for the particular leader to decide whether he would like to travel by his own vehicle or in the one provided by the poll panel.
Once EVM is selected, it will be sealed and brought back to Delhi in the vehicle in which the opposition leader will be traveling. Then, in the presence of one and all, the data of the machine will be deleted. Once the polling data is deleted, polling will be conducted in presence of those who had raised fingers over the functioning of the EVMs.
According to sources, that the Commission has taken into account that the VVPAT slips of electronic voting machines, up to a definite percentage which will be determined by the Commission, will also be subjected to counting and the ECI will evolve an appropriate framework in this regard.
At the all-party meet recently, most parties said EVMs could be used for future elections if they came with a paper trail machine, which would enable the electorate to check if their vote had been registered against the person of their choice.
Some parties, however, said the EVMs could not be trusted and the EC should revert to the old ballot paper system, where people inked their choices on a sheet of paper.