EVM challenge falls flat, but CEC dubs it an ‘extraordinary’ move
DAMP SQUIB AAP, Congress stay away from event, NCP and CPI make techrelated inquiries
Even as the poll panel’s much-awaited ‘Open Challenge’ turned out to be a dud, chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi on Saturday termed the event as an “extraordinary measure” to dispel doubts of electronic voting machine (EVM) manipulation among political parties.
“We picked 14 sealed EVMs at random from 12 assembly constituencies in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh (for the purpose),” he said.
The electoral body’s efforts went in vain, with most prominent Opposition parties – such as the Congress and AAP – staying away because the rules wouldn’t allow them to tamper with the EVM circuitry.
Only the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) made an appearance.
“CPI-M representatives told us that they only wanted information on EVM functioning. They suggested that we conduct periodic demonstrations in this regard with members of the technical community,” Zaidi said.
The chief election commissioner said the NCP was also interested only in the academic exercise, and not the challenge itself. “They had sought details of its battery and memory card on Saturday, but we could not provide them because the machines are sealed. So NCP leaders said they wouldn’t be able to participate in the challenge,” he said.
Both the NCP and CPI-M restricted their participation in the event to making enquiries from the poll panel’s technical expert committee.
The Sharad Pawar-led party reportedly told the poll panel that they were concerned about its dismal showing in the recent Maharashtra municipal polls. It asked the poll panel to ensure that only original EVMs are circulated during electoral contests.
The CPI-M, on the other hand, said it wanted to know more about EVMs functioning. Hence, party representatives were given a detailed demonstration of the preparation undergone by a voting machine before an actual poll.
The open challenge was organised in response to allegations made by several parties that votes in the latest round of state elections may have been rigged. The exercise began at 10 am, and ended four hours later at their headquarters in Delhi.