Poll panel to throw EVM challenge soon

Meet to also discuss making bribing voters a cognizable offence

CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, 29/03/2017: Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system designed by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) at the Greater Chennai Corporation School at Pulianthope in Chennai. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The Election Commission will hold an all-party meeting on May 12 to convince political parties that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof.

“The schedule for an ‘open challenge’, inviting experts to try tampering with the EVMs, will be finalised after the meeting,” an EC official said.

In its communication to President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday evening and to the seven national and 48 State parties, the commission sent a status paper on the EVMs and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines.

Apart from the issue of EVM security, the agenda includes making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, disqualification on framing of charges for the offence of bribery in elections and suggestions for VVPAT recount rules. “The EC has sought a written response from all the parties on these issues by May 7,” the official said.

Experts invited

At the meeting, experts are expected to give presentations on how the voting machines are manufactured and what are the administrative procedures adopted to secure them.

The move comes days after several political parties alleged that the EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab had been tampered with. A delegation of 16 parties also petitioned the President seeking his intervention. Dismissing the allegations, the Commission issued a series of statements to substantiate that the machines were tamper-proof, but to no avail.

Under the current arrangement, the EVMs used in elections are randomised at five levels, till the booth level, after they are supplied to the Commission by the manufacturers.

They also undergo testing at various stages, also in front of the representatives of political parties ahead of the polls and finally sealed, with their signatures on them.

“The machine buttons are paired with the name of election candidates, in an alphabetical order, and not as per that of political parties, making it virtually impossible for anyone to ensure that the votes cast through an EVM kept at a particular booth would only go to a particular party candidate,” the official said.