The Election Commission on Wednesday threw an open challenge to people to try and tamper with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The exercise will take place in the first week of May. In 2009 too, the commission had thrown a similar challenge, but no one came forward to rig the machines.
The challenge by the poll panel was in response to allegations coming from several quarters including BSP chief Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that EVMs could have been rigged in the recent Assembly polls. Kejriwal had recently challenged the EC to hand over an EVM to him so that he could prove within 72 hours that the machines weren’t foolproof and could be tampered with.
The four-level challenge to be conducted in Nirvachan Sadan would be open to techies and also political parties for ten days. “From the first week of May, experts, scientists and technocrats can come for a week or ten days and try to hack the machines,” an official source said.
Meanwhile, a delegation of major Opposition parties, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday and raised the issue of malfunctioning and alleged tampering of EVM machines. They reportedly raised questions on the sanctity of the electoral process in the recently-concluded Assembly elections. “In this regard all the Opposition parties have already met the Election Commission, which has promised to convene an all-party meeting on the issue,” said the memorandum given to the President.
leaders of prominent Opposition parties, including the Congress, the left parties, TMC, SP, BSP, JD-U and the RJD, were part of the delegation.
led by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the delegation also raised cases of violence, including attacks by cow vigilantes, and attempts to “muzzle voices of dissent” and sought Mukherjee’s urgent intervention “to ensure the rule of law” in the country.
After the delegation met the President, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “An environment of fear and insecurity is prevailing in the country and voices of dissent are being muzzled.”
The memorandum was also signed by Tariq Anwar (NCP), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP), Dharmendra Yadav and Neeraj Shekhar (SP), D Raja (CPI), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Kalyan Banerjee (TMC), Sharad Yadav (JD-U), V Elangovan (DMK) and others.