EVM Tampering Row: Election Commission To Call All-Party Meeting

Recently, 16 parties urged the ECI to revert to the ballot system, claiming people had lost faith in EVMs.

Photo used for representational purpose. (Photo: Reuters)

The Election Commission (EC) will soon call a meeting of all political parties to assure them that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tampering-proof and secure, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said on Saturday.

He also said that the Commission intends to use Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT) in all upcoming elections in order to bring in more transparency and boost the confidence of people involved in the electoral process.

We will soon hold an all-party meeting in which they will be told how our EVMs are non-tamperable and secure as per our administrative and technical safeguard system.

Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner

Also Read: DeQoded: Are Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) Tamper-Proof?

Recently, 16 opposition parties urged the EC to revert to the ballot system, claiming that the faith of the people in EVMs had been “eroded”.

Responding to the allegations levelled by various political parties against EVMs, Zaidi said that EC is planning to "hold a challenge" for which a time frame is being worked out.

For VVPATs, we have got all the funds. We have placed an order for the supply of 15 lakh VVPAT with two PSUs, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronic Corporation of India (ECI).

Nasim Zaidi

He said that the Commission's objective is to use VVPAT in all the coming elections, adding that around 15 lakh VVPAT machines will be ready by September 2018.

India will perhaps be the first country where VVPAT will be used at all poling stations, Zaidi said. It will boost voters' confidence and will bring more transparency in the election process, he added.

Also Read: Not Just Mayawati, ‘EVM Fraud’ Also Reared Head During Maha Polls