EVMs Can't Be Hacked Like Pagers: Poll Body Chief On Congress's Charges

Dismissing allegations of 'varying EVM battery levels', Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said Electronic Voting Machines are totally "safe and robust," and have batteries like a calculator, not like a mobile which will be charged everyday.

CEC Kumar explained that EVMs had three-layered security including the batteries and in each level signatures of political party representatives were taken to ensure transparency.

"People also ask, if pagers can be hacked then why can't EVMs be hacked? Pagers are connected but EVMs are not," he said during a press conference while announcing the poll dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections on Tuesday.

Notably, Israel had hacked pagers of terrorist outfit Hezbollah.

He explained that the batteries put in EVMs are single-use batteries, and the signatures of each political party's representative are also taken on them.

"This is a single use battery... like a calculator, not like a mobile which will be charged everyday. One battery can be used for around five years," the CEC said.

"When a machine is commissioned, the battery is put on that day, this is done five or six days before voting. .. even on the battery there are signatures of party representatives. We also do not know when we made this rule, but now it is useful to us," he said.

CEC Kumar also explained that EVMs had three-layered security and signatures of political party representatives were taken to ensure transparency.

"When the EVMs are sealed, they will be double locked, there will be a three-layer security, where CAPF must be there, and observers will be there too. On the day of polling the whole process will be repeated and it is also videographed," he added.

"This sort of system, with public disclosure, participation, please tell me where else is there such a robust system," Mr Kumar added.

Congress delegation had raised 20 complaints to the ECI, which CEC Rajiv said will be replied to individually and will be posted for everyone to see too.

"We have gotten around 20 complaints regarding EVMs, we will address them individually, fact by fact. We will convey to each candidate our response, because it is our duty and tell it soon. We will also publish our responses for everyone," CEC Rajiv Kumar added.

Notably, Congress had alleged that varying EVM battery levels across different polling stations in Haryana might have impacted the poll results on October 8 in which the BJP returned to power third time in a row, defying poll predictions. Congress claimed that on EVMs with 99 per cent charge Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won, whereas other machines which had 60 per cent charge Congress won.

Speaking to ANI on October 12, Congress leader Pawan Khera, also said, "We have sent a list of 20 seats to the Election Commission regarding which our candidates have submitted written and verbal complaints of 99 per cent battery charge. This is a strange coincidence that the machines which displayed 99 per cent battery charge were the ones on which Congress lost. The machines with 60-70 per cent battery charge are the ones on which Congress won. Why did this happen?"

The Congress in Haryana could not capitalise on the 10 years of anti-incumbency of the BJP government. The BJP won 48 out of 90 seats in the Haryana assembly, while Congress managed to win 37 seats. Independents won 3 seats, and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) secured 2 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)