Hardly talked about EVMs are the focal point of political squabble once again. This time it’s Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal. This is not the first time a losing party instead of accepting defeat and introspecting its shortcomings have found a scapegoat in EVMs. Not only Arvind Kejriwal but Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party, Harish Rawat of Congress and even Lal Krishna Advani of BJP in their own time of calling have claimed of EVMs being tampered with. Since AAP suffered a humiliating defeat in Punjab and Goa state elections, Arvind Kejriwal has been blaming the EVMs incessantly. More so, after BJPs startling win in Uttar Pradesh. Not just AAP but 18 other political parties have asked Election Commission of India to look into the matter.
Mayawati, chief of BSP was the first to raise questions about the authenticity of EVMs after Uttar Pradesh state elections. However, Arvind Kejriwal has been the flag bearer in this movement against tampered EVMs. Popular opinion in Delhi where AAP won astoundingly in 2015 is that Arvind Kejriwal has not been able to stand up to the expectations. Instead of focusing on the governance of national capital, he has involved himself in spats with the Delhi LG Najeeb Jung and various other politicians. All his speeches have a whiff to target Narendra Modi and how he is trying to create roadblocks for AAP, they don’t speak of their manifestos or what his roadmap for the development of Delhi is.
The Recent loss in Delhi MCD elections has fumed his fight against the use of EVMs. He wants the paper ballot system to be brought back. On multiple occasions, the Election Commission of India and the Supreme Court have stated the EVMs to be full proof against any tampering and their superiority over paper ballot system. One may wonder, that if EVMs were being tampered with, how did AAP manage to secure the handful of seats that they did? The Delhi landslide victory in 2015, was it all tampered EVMs? Arvind Kejriwal since coming to power in Delhi has been surrounded by controversies, be it the internal conflict with Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, be it selling candidates tickets for money, be it the scandal of 97 crores or its own ministers claiming the party to have lost track of what it stood for.
On the issue of EVMs really being tampered with The Press Information Bureau Government of India Election Commission released a Press Note on 17 March 2017 regarding the Credibility of Electronic Voting Machines. It explicitly states the eleven measures taken to ensure the technical security of EVMs used by ECI. It mentions the times a petition has been filed against tampering of the EVMs with the High Court. The honourable Karnataka High Court held that “This invention is undoubtedly a great achievement in the electronic and the computer technology and a national pride”. It practically rules out any minute possibility of EVMs to be tampered with. The press note could be easily found on the internet.
