Rajasthan Congress Expresses Concern Over Alleged Tampering of EVMs

Mahesh Joshi, the Congress' chief whip in the state Assembly, said there is a doubt that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) could be tampered with.

The Rajasthan Congress on Tuesday expressed concern over the alleged tampering of the EVMs, saying the onus of ensuring the devices’ security lies with the Election Commission.

Mahesh Joshi, the Congress’ chief whip in the state Assembly, said there is a doubt that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) could be tampered with.

“Several political parties have demanded that the elections should ballot-paper based. It is the Election Commission’s responsibility to ensure trust and clarify all doubts,” Joshi told reporters. “The EC should give one EVM to political parties and technical expert to check whether they can be tampered.”

Several complaints have come up, he said, claiming that the EC was adamant on its stand.

State Power Minister B D Kalla pointed out that even developed countries like the USA had adopted paper ballot-based election, considering chances of tampering with the EVMs.

“The EVMs and VVPAT results should be matched for better authenticity,” Kalla said.

The minister said there were complaints during the Assembly election as well.

People were expecting 150-160 seats in favour of the Congress. This means there is a doubt and it should be clarified, he added.