Should Electronic Voting Machines be replaced by ballot boxes?
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on
Sunday found support from rivals Communist party of India - Marxist, Janata Dal
- Secular and Lok Janshakti Party for his suggestion for the re-introduction of
ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines.
Recently, the controversy over the EVMs gained momentum when former Delhi chief secretary Omesh Saigal gave a presentation to the Commission as to how EVMs can be programmed to manipulate results, after which the Commission asked a deputy commissioner to probe the matter.
"It is certainly expected that the Election Commission would ensure after proper enquiry that the EVMs are not subjected to any manipulation or malfunctioning. Till that is done, it is expected that the elections to Maharashtra, Haryana etc will be done through ballot papers," he said. Prasad noted that in Germany, voting machines have been prohibited while in the United States, it is mandatory to provide paper back ups to EVMs.
"Many questions have already been raised related to EVMs. These are serious issues and if we want to strengthen our democracy then we should consider the matter very seriously," CPI-M [ Images ] politburo member Yechury told reporters. He said many countries in the world, which were using EVMs, have reverted back to ballot papers and these included developed countries, with Germany being the latest example.
"The EC is amply satisfied about the non-tamperability and the foolproof working of the EVMs. The Commission's confidence in the efficacy of the EVMs has been fortified by the judgments of various courts and the views of technical experts," the Commission said in its press note.
The commission would, however, consider all the points raised and apprehensions expressed recently by various political leaders and individuals regarding EVMs and take all necessary measures to clear doubts about use of EVMs in elections, the note stated.
Noting that the Commission came across reports regarding technological vulnerability of the EVMs for possible manipulation, the EC referred to the Karnataka High Court hailing the EVMs as 'a national pride'.
However, no demonstration on the tamperability of the EVM has been given by Sehgal to the Commission or to its officials, nor has the Commission ordered any enquiry, as reported in a section of the press, the EC clarified.
Recently, the controversy over the EVMs gained momentum when former Delhi chief secretary Omesh Saigal gave a presentation to the Commission as to how EVMs can be programmed to manipulate results, after which the Commission asked a deputy commissioner to probe the matter.
"It is certainly expected that the Election Commission would ensure after proper enquiry that the EVMs are not subjected to any manipulation or malfunctioning. Till that is done, it is expected that the elections to Maharashtra, Haryana etc will be done through ballot papers," he said. Prasad noted that in Germany, voting machines have been prohibited while in the United States, it is mandatory to provide paper back ups to EVMs.
"Many questions have already been raised related to EVMs. These are serious issues and if we want to strengthen our democracy then we should consider the matter very seriously," CPI-M [ Images ] politburo member Yechury told reporters. He said many countries in the world, which were using EVMs, have reverted back to ballot papers and these included developed countries, with Germany being the latest example.
"The EC is amply satisfied about the non-tamperability and the foolproof working of the EVMs. The Commission's confidence in the efficacy of the EVMs has been fortified by the judgments of various courts and the views of technical experts," the Commission said in its press note.
The commission would, however, consider all the points raised and apprehensions expressed recently by various political leaders and individuals regarding EVMs and take all necessary measures to clear doubts about use of EVMs in elections, the note stated.
Noting that the Commission came across reports regarding technological vulnerability of the EVMs for possible manipulation, the EC referred to the Karnataka High Court hailing the EVMs as 'a national pride'.
However, no demonstration on the tamperability of the EVM has been given by Sehgal to the Commission or to its officials, nor has the Commission ordered any enquiry, as reported in a section of the press, the EC clarified.
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