CASE OF THE ‘MISSING EVMs’
The EVM issue is an election-time perennial. This time two new issues have come up. The first is an apparent discrepancy between the number of votes polled, as logged on the Election Commission (EC) website, and those obtained from the EVMs. The EC has since explained that figures on their website were provisional, and they will reconcile the numbers and put out the correct ones soon. The second issue is the large number of EVMs allegedly gone ‘missing’—information gleaned from an RTI query. The EC will hopefully explain this as well in the coming days.
Before the elections, Opposition parties had asked for a 50 per cent VVPAT (or paper trail) verification of votes cast, a demand the Supreme Court turned down. The Opposition parties did not state their apprehensions explicitly, and the EC finally allowed a 5 per cent paper trail verification, without specifying the course of action in the event that there were substantial differences in the EVM and paper trail counts. One former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) recently said there was no possibility of manipulation. However, he did exhort the EC to clarify/ remove all doubts.
A couple of key issues need to be examined: the possibility of rigging elections, for example. Conspiracy theories abound in our country. One such theory is that manipulation occurred during storage/ transportation of EVMs. Another offers that perhaps additional votes were cast after polling hours, as many did not show up for voting. The polling percentage data for 2019 does not suggest large-scale rigging—if that were true, polling percentages would perhaps have risen significantly, in some constituencies at least. But whatever the truth may be, it is important to put at rest all doubts on the issue. The second issue is whether errors, if any, would affect the outcome of the election in any constituency. There is a legal remedy in place for this: any candidate who feels aggrieved about the counting can file an election petition.
So far, no one has done so, but we still have a few weeks during which such petitions may be filed.
It is important to note that often parties and candidates who lose elections or are apprehensive of losing elections allege rigging or missing EVMs, or demand paper trails, full recounting and even re-polling. The winners are busy celebrating. Many doubts have been raised and, unfortunately, biases creep in even in the way we react to these doubts. Those who voted for the ruling party dismiss the doubts out of hand. For others, there is proof of rigging. It is important to restore public confidence in the system.
In this era of social media and fake news, all sorts of messages are flying around. Not all are accurate or factual. But there are some interesting facts that may be worth noting. Three states—Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan—dramatically reversed the verdict of assembly polls held less than six months ago. In Karnataka, there were two reversals: the Opposition won assembly elections in May 2018, and the ruling party swept the Lok Sabha poll one year later. One month after the Lok Sabha poll in late May, the Opposition once again won the municipal elections. Two dramatic reversals in less than a year, and one in less than a month. There are probably reasonable explanations for all this. But for those who suspect manipulation, these reversals raised further questions. In such a situation, it becomes even more important for the EC to clear the air by offering a point-by-point clarification of all substantive doubts. If indeed there are no problems in the conduct of elections, the EC’s clarifications will silence critics not just for now but for future elections as well. Elections do, after all, also need to be seen to be fair.
It is important for the EC to offer a point-by-point clarification of all substantive doubts