EVMs in India were obsolete and not enabled with Internet and hence tamper-proof, OP Rawat said. (FILE)
Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in India were obsolete and not enabled with the Internet and hence tamper-proof, "just like calculators", former chief election commissioner OP Rawat said on Friday.
He added that any attempt to tamper the new EVMs, which were also used in the recent elections, sets them into factory-mode.
The use of this "obsolete" technology in EVMs was "deliberate", Mr Rawat added.
"All political parties had complained about the EVMs. It created doubts in the minds of the common people. But the Election Commission has come out clean. The EVMs are tamper-proof," he said at an event organised by a newspaper.
The EVMs used in developed countries were often advanced, equipped with Wi-Fi technology and were internet-enabled, he said.
Mr Rawat said the Election Commission had to face criticism as political parties had formed an opinion that EVMs were faulty and were benefiting a particular party.
Mr Rawat also said that there was more participation since the Election Commission started to use electronically transmitted postal ballots.
He said similar efforts were being made for NRIs and migrant workers.