Chief Election Commissioner Defends EVM Integrity Amid Opposition Claims

As opposition parties again raised concerns about the potential manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) ahead of the Election Commission’s announcement on polling dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar responded by emphasizing the public’s confidence in the voting process.

Speaking to ANI, Kumar stated, “The public addresses these concerns through their participation in elections. Regarding EVMs, they are 100 percent foolproof. If questions arise again, we will respond as needed.”

Earlier, Congress leader Rashid Alvi alleged that EVMs could be tampered with, referencing Israel’s ability to hack into Hezbollah’s pagers. He urged the opposition in Maharashtra to advocate for paper ballots instead of EVMs, asserting, “In Maharashtra, the BJP government and the Election Commission could do anything. If Israel can carry out such operations using pagers and walkie-talkies, then what about EVMs? The Prime Minister has good relations with Israel, which is adept in these matters. There could be significant manipulation with EVMs, and the BJP might engage in such tactics before elections.”

Last week, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission, expressing hopes that the body would acknowledge the concerns and provide appropriate instructions. On social media platform X, he noted, “On October 9, senior Congress leaders submitted a memorandum filled with complaints to the Election Commission. Today, we’ve presented an updated memorandum detailing serious irregularities in the electoral process in 20 assembly constituencies of Haryana. We expect the Election Commission to take this into account and issue the necessary directives.”

Congress leader Pawan Khera also mentioned that the party had compiled a list of 20 constituencies where candidates reported both written and verbal complaints regarding EVM vote counting during the Haryana Assembly elections. Khera remarked, “We’ve provided the Election Commission with a list of 20 seats where our candidates noted an unusual 99 percent battery charge on EVMs. This issue arose during the counting process, and it’s curious that the machines showing 99 percent battery were primarily linked to Congress losses, while those with 60-70 percent battery were associated with our victories. Why did this occur?”

The Election Commission is expected to announce the polling dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand today.