Karnataka Congress raises debate on EVMs: Here’s what ECI said in response

A fresh debate has erupted in Karnataka ahead of the assembly elections, as the Congress has raised questions over alleged irregularities through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The party also wrote to the Election Commission of India seeking answers to its reservations about the use of EVMs.

Earlier, the Congress had claimed that over 14 political parties, which have conveyed their concerns over the efficacy of EVMs to the Election Commission, are yet to receive any response. On Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajeev Kumar, who reached Bengaluru on a three-day visit with his team on March 9, criticized the opposition for raking up the EVM issue ahead of the elections.

Kumar said that before any machine is put to work or use, it has to go through many tests and examinations during its development. The CEC dismissed the allegations and said that there was not a single complaint in the previous elections and therefore, no party should worry about where the EVMs come from.

“If a car comes from Maharashtra to Bengaluru, does it behave differently? This is a machine that has proven itself, it is technically tested. In the last five elections, there was not a single allegation on an EVM. This is a settled issue and there is no point in raising it again. It does not matter from where we get it – whether from Gujarat, Himachal or other states,” he said.

He further reminded the opposition parties about the First Level Inquiry (FCL), which was not a hidden fact. As part of the directives, ECI conducts FCL in every bye-election and a general election which includes all advance checks in the presence of delegates and their agents to ensure hassle free elections.

“After the machines come, there is something called FLC, which is done in the presence of all political parties. Each machine is randomized in the presence of the candidates and their agents. So this poor machine does not know where it has to go because it is a machine after all.’

However, the Karnataka Congress has urged the Election Commission to not only hold the elections early, but also to ensure free and fair elections by announcing a code of conduct at the earliest.

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