Can tell you 10 ways to tamper with EVMs: Kejriwal (Roundup)

Questioning the Election Commissions credibility over the issue of "rigged" EVMs, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused it of being biased towards BJP and hinted at possibility of the companies manufacturing EVMs being involved in their tampering.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who has been vociferous about the vulnerability of the electronic voting machines, said unless the people fought against "BJP's control over the EVMs", democracy can't be saved.

"I am an IIT Kharagpur graduate...I can tell you 10 ways how EVMs can be tampered," Kejriwal told news channel NDTV.

"EVMs can be influenced if a bug or a Trojan horse is inserted in its chip. Only two companies - one in US and one in Japan - manufacture the chips. What can you do when the bug is inserted in the source. What can you do if the company is influenced," he said.

He also laimed that the Election Commission, in its reply to a Right to Information (RTI) query has said that it "doesn't have the capacity to read the code embedded in the chip of a EVM".

Likening the poll panel to blind King Dhritarashtra of the epic "Mahabharata", Kejriwal dared the commission to make public its findings on tampering allegations.

"Wherever in India the EVMs have malfunctioned, there is only one issue - no matter which button you press, the vote goes to the BJP. And every time the commission says there is no problem with the EVMs.

"Why are they (EC) brushing everything under the carpet? Had EC gone for a technical probe and put the finding in public domain, people's faith in it would have been restored," he said.

He alleged that the Election Commission was "enacting drama in the name of elections" to ensure BJP victory in all the polls.

"The BJP has total control over the EVMs and unless we all including the media fight it out, we will not be able to save democracy, save the country," said Kejriwal.

He also rejected assertions that the AAP was hiding behind tampering allegations to cover up its dismal performance in the recent polls including the Rajouri Garden assembly seat bypoll in Delhi, where its candidate faced the ignominy of forfeiting deposit.

"We have made 100 mistakes... 200 mistakes... we will introspect. But EVM tampering is a fact and can we remain blind to that," he said asserting the results will have no impact on the party's prospects in the April 23 elections to the three municipal corporations in the national capital.

He attributed his party's drubbing in the bypoll to people's anger over party MLA Jarnail Singh resigning in the middle of his term to contest the February 4 Punjab assembly elections.

He also flayed the Delhi Election Commission for bringing "EVMs from the junkyard" for the Delhi civic polls.

--IANS

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