How much more transparent can one be, asked Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday as he again underlined that the EVMs or voting machines are safe and robust, questioning if there is any example anywhere in the country where there is so much thrust on disclosure and participation.
"Matlab kitni baar (How many times)? Anyway," said the Chief Election Commissioner as the EVM question was put to him yet again.
In the just concluded polls, the Congress had alleged tampering of EVMs in some Haryana seats where machines with varying battery strength gave out different results.
"It (EVM) has a single use battery which can be used for 5-7 days. It's like a calculator battery. We have made a provision. It is initially marked as its 99 per cent and charged. It can differ based on difference of voltage. When it drops to 5.8%, it gives a signal that it is about to die," said Mr Kumar underscoring that the system is foolproof, dismissing rumours that the machine can be hacked into.
The batteries are put on the day the machines (EVMs) are commissioned and not before, he said. The EVMs are not connected, hence they can't be hacked into, said the top poll officer as he announced the dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls.
"I have explained it many times. It will take time but let me explain again. Before 5-6 months of polls, checking begins. At every step of EVM process, political parties or their agents are present. We put a new battery and after sealing there are signatures of the agent. There's a three-layer of security including CAPF and observers. The process is videographed. The EVM numbers are also shared. When polls are over, even then we take signatures. How much more can we show? On counting day, it goes inside barricading. There's a provision for objecting to any of this at any stage which has not happened," said the Chief Election Commissioner.
Earlier, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the party had sent a list of 20 seats in which the candidates had submitted their written and verbal complaints over the EVM counting votes in the Haryana Assembly elections.
"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 issue was raised on the day of counting...This is a strange coincidence that the machines which displayed 99 per cent battery charge were the ones on which Congress was mostly made to lose. The machines with 60-70 per cent battery charge are the ones on which Congress won. Why did this happen?" said Mr Khera speaking to news agency ANI.
Citing the results over the last 10-15 elections, Mr Kumar said it can't be that when results don't go your way you start raising questions.
"Kitna dikhayenge, kaun dikhata hai itna bataiye. Koi ek process comparative bataiye poori country main jahan public disclosure, disclosure, disclosure, participation, participation itna adkhik ho. Koi ek bataiye process (How much more transparent can we be, you tell me. Tell me about one comparative process where there is so much public disclosure and participation. You show me one process)," he said.