Election Commission says EVM challenge will start from 3 June, assures that machines are tamper-proof

The challenge to prove that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be tampered with will start from 3 June, the Election Commission announced on Saturday, 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 EVMs used in the recent Assembly polls were tampered with. [caption id=“attachment_3461854” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi. PTI[/caption] “The EVM challenge will start from 3 June onwards,” Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said, addressing a press conference. “Election Commission desires all citizens and stakeholders to remain aware, vigilant and alert about our electoral processes,” PIB quoted Zaidi as saying. He said people who had questioned the 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. “Election Commission will never, ever allow the faith of the people in the integrity of the election process to be shaken,” he added. “Election Commission would leave no stone unturned in preserving the purity, integrity and credibility of the electoral democracy of our country.”

LIVE: ECI is thankful to all the citizens, voters, political parties and all stakeholders for their unwavering faith in the Commission:CEC pic.twitter.com/fRnzKOVJQg

— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 20, 2017

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 Election Commission 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 Election Commission to revert to paper ballots. The Election Commission has already announced that it will ensure paper trail of voting in all future elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. With inputs from PTI