Page 3 - Evms

Violation of law: CIC pulls up EC for not replying to RTI query on EVMs

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has expressed "severe displeasure" over the Election Commission (EC) not furnishing a reply to an RTI plea that had asked the poll panel about the action taken on a "representation" given to it by eminent citizens, raising questions on the credibility of EVMs and VVPAT machines during elections. Terming it a "gross violation" of the law, the CIC has also directed the EC to submit a written explanation. Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer M G Devasahayam, who was one of the signatories to the representation on the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) and the vote-counting process, had filed an application with the poll panel under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking details of the action taken on it. The representation was sent to the EC on May 2, 2022. Through the RTI application filed on November 22, 2022, Devasahayam wanted to know about the persons and public .

SC to hear plea for cross-verification of EVMs with VVPAT by voters

The NGO had sought direction from the Election Commission and the Centre to ensure the voters are able to verify through VVPATs that their vote has been 'counted as recorded'

Congress doubts EVMs only when it faces defeat in polls, says Scindia

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday took a swipe at Congress over the party veteran Digvijaya Singh's demand for holding elections through ballot papers, saying the Grand Old Party raises EVM issue only when it loses the electoral battle. Scindia wondered why Singh didn't raise the issue of Electronic Voting Machines when they were introduced by Congress in the past. Singh, the Congress nominee from Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency, on Monday, said he was trying to get 400 people to file nominations so that polls will be held through ballot papers. Singh has been demanding the introduction of ballot papers for conducting elections, raising doubts over the credibility of EVMs. "He has a problem with everything. Why didn't he raise questions when Congress introduced EVMs? He has been raising questions on EVMs for the past 10-15 years. No question is asked by Congress (on EVM credibility) when it wins but a lot of doubts are raised when they lose," said Scindia while respondi

Ballot boxes to EVMs: Journey of Election Commission indelibly inked

Born a day before India became a republic, the Election Commission has evolved a lot in the last 75 years from the period of ballot boxes to the era of electronic voting machines with democracy being the beating heart of this electoral machinery. Since its inception on January 25, 1950, the Commission has conducted 17 general elections, numerous assembly polls and elections to the offices of presidents and vice presidents. The Election Commission of India (ECI), headquartered at Nirvachan Sadan in Delhi, is now gearing up to hold the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, whose schedule is likely to be announced in March. A lot has changed from the first general elections conducted in India after Independence in 1951-52 to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The country, its electorate and technology have evolved a lot and so has the ECI. Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi said the Indian election, given the sheer scale and magnitude of preparations over the years, is now considered "a gold ...

Lagta hai ki EVM mein Modi ji ka koi haath chalega: Congress leaders

Adhir claimed that there is some secret hidden in EVMs

EC refutes Congress' allegations on EVMs, says has full faith in their use

The Election body further stated that current EVMs in use in Indian elections are compliant with the extant legal framework created and strengthened by the successive Union Governments

Have been saying since 2003, I don't trust EVMs: Congress' Digvijaya Singh

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh again raised questions over EVMs on Sunday and demanded that voters be handed over VVPAT slips that can then be put in ballot boxes. Responding to a video raising questions about the use of EVMs in elections, Singh stated that he has been saying since 2003 that he does not trust EVMs. "To whom I want to cast my vote, I don't even know where my vote has been cast. There is no such machine in the world in which a chip is inserted which cannot be hacked. Because the chip will follow the orders of the software embedded in it. You will type 'A' the software will say 'A' and only 'A' will be printed," he said. "If you press 'panja (Congress' poll symbol)' on EVM, what will be printed if the software says 'lotus'? Panja or lotus? Now the matter comes to this that the VVPAT machine showed you 'panja' for 7 seconds, we went away happy but 'lotus' (BJP's election symbol) will be printed! You can watch this game on Rahul Mehta's video," Singh said in his

BJP tears into Cong's 'EVM hacked' claim says complains only when it loses

"It is not new. The opposition raises questions on EVM only when they lose elections," Giriraj Singh said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday in Delhi

Any machine with chip can be hacked, says Digvijaya Singh on EVMs

Days after the Congress lost the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleged that any machine with a chip can be hacked

Won't be surprised if INDIA blames EVMs for polls outcome: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said he would not be surprised if some people cry foul and put the blame on EVMs for the assembly polls outcome, as counting was underway in four states. The BJP was racing towards power in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and had a distinct edge in Chhattisgarh while the Congress was poised to oust the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana. Speaking to reporters, Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's work was being appreciated by the people. "I will not be surprised if people from the INDIA alliance start blaming the EVMs (electronic voting machines) for the results," he said. It would be like crying foul, he added. When I was in government in the past, my opinion at the time was that tampering with EVMs was impossible. Just one person cannot tamper with the EVMs on such a large scale. You need many people to do it, and when a number of people get involved in such a practice, it would have ..

Chhattisgarh Assembly polls: First results to flash from industrial area

The electoral fate of 1,181 candidates in Chhattisgarh have been locked in the electronic voting machines

Chhattisgarh Assembly polls: Here's how the votes will be counted in state

The voting was conducted in two phase, with the first phase of voting on November 7 and the second phase on November 17, with a 76.31% voter turnout

EVMs have increased transparency, efficiency of poll process: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said nearly 100 crore Indians will be eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections next year and asserted that the electronic voting machine has increased transparency and efficiency of the country's electoral system. Addressing the inaugural session of the ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) here, he invited the delegates to visit India again next year to witness the "festival of democracy" (the next Lok Sabha elections due in 2024 summer). He said the large voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls shows the trust people have in the country's parliamentary practices. Over 67 per cent of the 91 crore eligible voters had exercised their franchise in the last parliamentary polls. He said the electoral process of the country has been modernised and now the electronic voting machine (EVM) has been in use for the past 25 years. The EVM has brought transparency and efficiency to the election process he said, adding now election results a

SC declines to hear Delhi Congress' plea on First Level Checking of EVMs

The Congress party in Delhi challenged the State Election Commission's conduct in relation to the "First Level Checking" of EVMs and VVPATs ahead of the upcoming general elections

SC dismisses PIL seeking independent audit of source code of EVMs

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking an audit of the software used in electronic voting machines (EVMs) used by the Election Commission. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said no actionable material that the poll panel acted in breach of constitutional mandate in holding polls has been placed before it. The Election Commission is entrusted with the control over elections. Presently, the petitioner places no actionable material before this court to show that the poll panel has acted in breach of its constitutional mandate. There is no material before us which casts doubt on EVMs, the bench said. Before filing the petition, PIL petitioner Sunil Ahya had made representations to the Election Commission seeking an independent audit of the source code of the EVMs. The source code is the brain behind the EVM and it is about survival of democracy, Ahya said.

Delhi HC refuses to entertain PIL against first level checking of EVMs

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation challenging the State Election Commission's conduct in relation to the First Level Checking of EVMs and VVPATs ahead of the upcoming general elections. Petitioner Anil Kumar, President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, submitted that sufficient notices were not given for carrying out First Level Checking (FLC) and the political parties thus could not prepare themselves for the process. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula observed that the plea was directed against the State Election Commission when they have nothing to do with it. The officials were working for the Election Commission of India, remarked the court as it asked the petitioner to withdraw the present petition and file a fresh petition. The petitioner prays for withdrawal of the petition with a liberty to file a fresh PIL. The petition is dismissed as withdrawn with the said liberty, the court ...

Election Commission takes stock of EVMs ahead of general elections in 2024

The EC issues a calendar for such exercises and there are standing instructions that are to be followed by state chief electoral officers

They must have gathered some knowledge about EVMs: Himanta on Cong claims

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the Congress must have gathered some knowledge about EVMs, as it has been predicting victory for the grand old party in the Karnataka Assembly polls. The southern state will go to polls on May 10 and counting of votes will be undertaken on May 13, with the Congress seeking to oust the incumbent BJP government. Earlier, they (Congress) used to accuse us of problems with EVMs... So, if they can predict the result in advance, then I have to say that the party in Karnataka must have gathered some knowledge about EVMs, Sarma told reporters here. The Congress has sounded confident of emerging victorious in Karnataka. Senior Congress leader and former minister M B Patil told PTI that it will come to power on its own with 130-odd seats out of 224 in the southern state. The BJP has announced candidates in 212 constituencies, the Congress 165, while the JD(S) has named 93 nominees.

EVMs, VVPATS designed, manufactured indigenously by 2 PSUs: Government

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) and paper trail machines are designed and manufactured indigenously by two public sector undertakings (PSUs), the government said in Lok Sabha on Friday. Responding to a question on whether the government has purchased EVMs and EVM technology from foreign countries, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said according to the Election Commission, EVMs and voter verifiable paper audit trail machines (VVPATs) are designed and manufactured indigenously by Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL), a PSU under the Defence Ministry, and the Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), another PSU under the Department of Atomic Energy. Paper roll of VVPATs is procured by states and Union Territories from BEL and ECIL, he said in his written reply.

Tripura polls: EVMs, Ballot Boxes kept under strict security arrangements

The Assembly elections for the state of Tripura were held on February 16, which saw over 81 per cent voter turnout, informed the Election Commission