Probe EVMs, demands Kejriwal -Governance Now

Probe EVMs, demands Kejriwal

The chits generated through VVPAT must be counted by the election commission and matched with the final result shown by the EVMs, said Kejriwal

GN Bureau | March 15, 2017

#polls 2017 #Arvind Kejriwal #VVPAT #electronic voting machines #Punjab #AAP #voting

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday sought a probe into Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and demanded that the VVPAT chits be counted and matched with the EVM results.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail system (VVPAT) provides a paper trail. Once a voter presses the EVM button, a piece of paper with the election symbol is also generated.

Kejriwal said that VVPAT was put into practice in 32 assembly constituencies in Punjab and in 20 seats in Uttar Pradesh. He said that the chits generated through VVPAT must be counted by the election commission and matched with the final result shown by the EVMs.

“If the numbers are same, then faith in the process will be restored. But, if there is mismatch in the numbers, then something else needs to be done,” said Kejriwal, who added that people have lost faith in the poll process.

He said that the apex court had made the observation that EVMs are vulnerable and prone to tampering.

“Countries like US and Japan have barred the use of EVMs,” he said.

Before 2014, even BJP leader LK Advani had protested against the use of EVMs.

He cited the example of a candidate in Maharashtra who polled zero votes. He claimed that candidate had voted for himself, but that did not reflect in the EVM.

To a query with regard to the AAP winning 67 of the 70 seats in Delhi, Kejriwal was quick to retort: “We didn’t tamper. We did not have the state machinery at our disposal.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received a drubbing in Punjab where it bagged about two dozen seats out of the total 117 seats. The Congress, under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh, made a dramatic comeback, ousting the Badals who have been power for a decade.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati and Congress leader Ajay Maken too have demanded a probe into EVMs.

So, what exactly is VVPAT?

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail is an independent system [consists of two parts, namely, VVPAT Printer and VVPAT Status Display Unit (VSDU)] attached with the Electronic Voting Machines that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. When a vote is cast, a slip is printed containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate and remains exposed through a transparent window for 7 seconds. Thereafter, this printed slip automatically gets cut and falls in sealed drop box of the VVPAT.

Comments

Other News

Elections 2024: 1,351 candidates in fray for Phase 3

As many as 1,351 candidates from 12 states /UTs are contesting elections in Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The number includes eight contesting candidates for the adjourned poll in 29-Betul (ST) PC of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, one candidate from Surat PC in Gujarat has been elected unopp

2023-24 net direct tax collections exceed budget estimates by 7.40%

The provisional figures of direct tax collections for the financial year 2023-24 show that net collections are at Rs. 19.58 lakh crore, 17.70% more than Rs. 16.64 lakh crore in 2022-23. The Budget Estimates (BE) for Direct Tax revenue in the Union Budget for FY 2023-24 were fixed at Rs. 18.

‘World’s biggest festival of democracy’ begins

The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among all seven phases) in 21 States/ UTs and 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunach

A sustainability warrior’s heartfelt stories of life’s fleeting moments

Fit In, Stand Out, Walk: Stories from a Pushed Away Hill By Shailini Sheth Amin Notion Press, Rs 399

What EU’s AI Act means for the world

The recent European Union (EU) policy on artificial intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer and likely to become the de-facto standard not only for the conduct of businesses but also for the way consumers think about AI tools. Governments across the globe have been grappling with the rapid rise of AI tool

Indian Railways celebrates 171 years of its pioneering journey

The Indian Railways is celebrating 171 glorious years of its existence. Going back in time, the first train in India (and Asia) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853. It was flagged off from Boribunder (where CSMT stands today). As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway which ran the