EVM Row: Arvind Kejriwal Terms EC Backing Out of Hackathon ‘Sad’
The poll body will demonstrate security features of the electronic voting machines on Friday.
- Arvind Kejriwal termed EC backing out of Hackathon “sad”
- The Election Commission held an all-party meeting to discuss the EVM issue on Friday
- This comes a day after AAP workers protested outside the poll body’s office on Thursday as part of their ‘Save Democracy Campaign’
- The protest was held in the wake of party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj demonstrating how EVMs can be ‘manipulated’
Sad EC Backed Out of 'Hackathon': Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday claimed the Election Commission has "backed out of the proposed hackathon" to ascertain the reliability of EVMs and said it was a "sad" move.
Kejriwal made the remarks despite Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi stating at an all-party meeting earlier on Friday that the EC would soon offer parties an opportunity to prove that EVMs can be tampered with.
The Delhi CM was therefore possibly referring to fact that the poll panel had not agreed to AAP's demand of handing over an EVM to it to prove its hacking allegations.
After the all-party meeting, Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia too made a similar comment. The AAP leader had sought to know why the poll panel was "scared" of holding a 'hackathon' if electronic voting machines cannot be tampered with.
Will Hold EVM Challenge With Machines Used in Recent Polls: CEC
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi said on Friday that the EC will hold a ‘challenge’ that will offer political parties an opportunity to prove that the EVMs used in the recent Assembly polls were tampered with or that EVMs can be tampered with.
The CEC was speaking at an all-party meeting held on the EVM issue. This is the first time he had spoken on record about the EC's proposed EVM ‘hacking’ challenge.
He, however, did not give any date for the proposed challenge.
Zaidi also said the Commission has "no favourites" and it was equidistant from all parties.
After EC's Plea, HC Says its Order on EVMs Need Not be Taken as a Precedent
The Uttarakhand High Court, which had directed the judicial magistrates of six Assembly seats to put an additional seal on EVMs (besides the one put by EC officials after polling) in their areas following allegations of tampering, clarified on Friday that its May 1 order need not be taken as a precedent elsewhere.
The High Court modified its order after the EC moved an application seeking amendment in its order as similar pleas were being filed across the country.
The EC submitted that since it seals the machines after the conclusion of any election, such a direction was not needed.
Amid the raging debate over reliability of electronic voting machines, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also termed the doubts raised by various parties as "unfounded".
He also appealed to all parties to deliberate on holding the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections simultaneously.
Election Commission Welcomes VVPAT Move
The EC welcomed the VVPAT move by the government, also adding that it has received funds for the same, which it will implement by 2019.
The poll body further said that it will “throw an open a challenge” to prove whether EVMs “can be tampered or not”. It further said it will be held sometime towards the end of the month.
Election Commission to Announce Date For Hackathon
The EC is expected to announce the date for its EVM hackathon. According to some media reports though, the date has already been set for 15 May, Monday.
Official Explains Security Features of Machines
An EC official made a detailed presentation on the security features of the EVMs.
Election Commission Calls All-Party Meet on Friday
An all-party meeting has been called by the EC on Friday to discuss the EVM issue. Seven national and 48 state parties have been invited.
The meeting will be preceded by the poll body’s officials who will demonstrate the machines’ security features.
The body is also likely to decide when its proposed ‘hackathon’, where computer experts will “tamper” with the devices, will happen.
AAP Demands an All-Party Committee to Look into EVM Allegations
The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday demanded that an all-party committee under the EC be formed to look into allegations of EVM manipulation.
The party will approach the commission on Friday seeking access to EVMs that were used in the recently-held assembly polls.
Demand For VVPAT-Equipped EVMs
The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday demanded that VVPAT-equipped EVMs be used for elections. This machine would dispense slips confirming for the voter that their vote has gone to the candidate of their choice.
"Vote Chori Band Karo": AAP Ups its Campaign
Aam Aadmi party workers on Thursday upped their campaign against the “manipulation” of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Called the ‘Save Democracy Campaign’, the protests were led by senior party leader Gopal Rai near the EC’s office.
The AAP has been vocal in alleging that EVMs were tampered with in the assembly elections in Punjab and the civic polls in Delhi, both of which it lost.
Using a prototype of what looked like an EVM used by the poll panel, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday claimed that codes embedded inside the voting machines can be used to manipulate results.
The EC dismissed Bharadwaj's assertions
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