EC rejects calls to discontinue EVMs

Amidst new calls for reverting to ballot boxes for elections, the Election Commission (EC) today strongly batted in favour of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and announced it was “satisfied about the non-tamperability and the foolproof working of the EVMs”.

“The Commission’s confidence in the efficacy of the EVMs has been fortified by the judgments of various courts and the views of technical experts. The honorable Karnataka High Court has hailed the EVM as a national pride”, an EC release said.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Lal Krishna Advani has said the EC should do away with the EVMs and go back to the old system of ballot papers for the elections as there is a fear of malfunction of the machines. He had also cited examples of Germany — a country that no longer holds elections with EVMs and uses ballot boxes. Advani’s argument found support from rivals CPI(M), JD(S) and LJP for his suggestion.

In a quick reaction, however, the EC said it would “consider apprehensions expressed recently by various political leaders and individuals regarding EVM and take all necessary measures to clear doubts about EVM elections in the country”.

The EC also emphasised that even as lot of doubts had been raised about the performance of the EVMs, no one had been able to prove that the EVMs could be manipulated: “The Commission has in the past provided opportunities to the complainants to prove their points on the alleged vulnerability of EVMs. So far, no one has been able to demonstrate to the Commission that EVMs can be manipulated. The efficacy of EVM was also questioned in court cases in the past and the decisions of the courts have (also) confirmed the reliability of EVM.”

EVMs were introduced in India in 1982. Since 2004, all elections in India are held through EVMs.