The recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, which resulted in a resounding victory for the Mahayuti alliance, have sparked renewed allegations from opposition parties about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In response, senior election officials have firmly defended the integrity of the voting process, emphasizing the robust security measures in place.
EVM Security: Tampering is Impossible, Says Additional Chief Electoral Officer
Kiran Kulkarni, Maharashtra's Additional Chief Electoral Officer, categorically dismissed the possibility of EVM tampering.
Highlighting the technical safeguards, Kulkarni explained, "EVMs cannot be hacked or tampered with due to their design. These machines are standalone devices, entirely isolated from any network or external gadgets, which makes hacking impossible."
He further elaborated that the chips used in EVMs are one-time programmable, ensuring that they cannot be reprogrammed after manufacturing.
Kulkarni’s statement underlines the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) meticulous procedures to maintain transparency and build voter confidence.
He stated, "When votes are counted, there is a process to match the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with the votes recorded in the EVMs. This ensures that there is no discrepancy in the results."
The VVPAT Matching Process
To dispel doubts, Kulkarni detailed the VVPAT verification procedure mandated by the ECI. During the counting process, a lottery is conducted to randomly select five polling stations from each assembly constituency.
In the presence of observers and political party representatives, the VVPAT slips from these polling stations are counted and cross-verified with the corresponding EVM results.
Kulkarni affirmed, “This transparent process ensures that the figures from the VVPAT slips and EVM votes are identical. In Maharashtra’s elections, this procedure was followed diligently, reaffirming the accuracy of the results.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer, S Chockalingam, rejected the opposition’s claims of discrepancies in the voting process.
He confirmed that during the counting on November 23, VVPAT slips from 1,440 polling stations across the state were tallied with the EVM control unit data.
“No mismatch was found between the VVPAT slip count and EVM control unit data as per the reports from District Election Officers (DEOs),” Chockalingam clarified.
He added that this thorough verification process underscores the reliability of the electoral system.
The Mahayuti alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured a sweeping win in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, claiming a total of 230 seats in the 288-member assembly.
The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, followed by its allies, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) with 57 seats and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) with 41 seats.
In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance faced a significant setback. The Congress managed to win only 16 seats, while the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) secured 20 seats, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) garnered just 10 seats.
Following their defeat, the MVA alliance partners raised questions about the credibility of EVMs, citing concerns over potential manipulation. However, election officials have consistently emphasized that the procedural safeguards and technical robustness of EVMs leave no room for tampering.
As political debates surrounding EVMs continue, the Election Commission of India’s steadfast commitment to transparency and accuracy remains evident.
By implementing stringent protocols like VVPAT verification, the ECI has ensured that the voting process is secure, transparent, and fair.
The statements from senior officials such as Kiran Kulkarni and S Chockalingam provide further assurance to voters about the integrity of India’s electoral system, even as the political narrative evolves.
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