New Delhi: Hours after an Indian ‘cyber expert’ claimed in London that the 2014 national elections were rigged by hacking the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which saw Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win by a landslide margin, the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday said it was mulling legal action in response to the claims.
“The Election Commission is planning legal action against the so-called cyber expert. The EC stands by empirical facts about the foolproof nature of its EVMs,” the Commission said.
It reiterated that the EVMs used in elections in the country were manufactured under strict supervisory and security conditions.
“EC emphasises that there are rigorous Standard Operating Procedures observed under the supervision of a Committee of technical experts constituted in 2010. EVMs are manufactured in Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited under very strict supervisory and security conditions,” the EC said.
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Candidates can be recorded in EVM at one point in timeThe cyber expert, identified as Syed Shuja who is seeking political asylum in the US, had claimed on Monday that the 2014 elections were “rigged” through EVMs, which can be hacked.
The hacker said Indian EVMs contained old chips which were manufactured when there was no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology.
“So while it was not possible to hack individual machines, with their algorithm, it was possible to tweak the machines,” he claimed.
Reacting to the allegations of hacking of EVMs in 2014 Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) polls, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati asked the EC to revert to the system of ballot paper for recording votes.
3, 840 votes
The maximum number of votes that can be recorded in one Electronic Voting Machine in India.“Keeping the larger interest of democracy in view, it is essential to look into the EVM matter so that it gets resolved soon. It is possible to validate ballot paper but it is not the case with the EVM. We demand EC to hold 2019 general election using ballot paper, taking this into cognisance,” Mayawati told media.
Mayawati’s ally and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav supported her on use of ballot paper instead of EVMs.
“If someone has raised a question then it must be thought that what is the reason that a developed country like Japan is not using EVMs. It is not a question of a political party, it is a question of trust in democracy. The Election Commission and the government should make a decision,” Yadav said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) N Chandrababu Naidu termed EVM as a “big threat to democracy.”
“EVM is turning out to be a big threat to democracy. It is worrying to know the claims made on the possibility of tampering EVMs. EC must seek opinion of all political parties and revert to the paper ballot system immediately,” Naidu tweeted.
Meanwhile, BJP blamed the Opposition Congress party for the controversy.
“Congress has a lot of freelancers, who sometimes reach even Pakistan to take help for removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are making a hacking horror show of their possible defeat in the upcoming elections,” senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the presence of Congress leader and former law minister Kapil Sibal at the EVM Hackathon event in London.
“What was Kapil Sibal doing there? In what capacity was he present there? I believe he was monitoring the situation on behalf of Congress party. Is the Congress sponsored event designed to insult the popular mandate of 2014,” Prasad told media.
Distancing itself from the London event, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Sibal did not represent the party and was invited to the event by a journalist.
“Congress has nothing to do with the Hackathon. But the charges made at the London event are serious. I cannot vouch for them, cannot deny them either,” Singhvi tweeted.
