New Delhi: Parties that have complained against the reliability of electronic voting machines too have won elections held using the same device, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday days after BSP leader Mayawati alleged discrepancies in EVMs and called for holding all polls using ballot papers.
Responding to a question on allegations that EVMs can be manipulated, Kumar said, “If the EVM could speak, it would have perhaps said ‘jisne tere sar par tohmat rakhhi hai, maine uske bhi ghar ki laaj rakhhi hai’ (Those who have accused you, I have even looked after them).”
He said following an amendment in the Representation of the People Act, the use of EVMs came into force, hence it is the duty of the poll panel to implement the law.
Kumar noted that several judicial verdicts, including by the Supreme Court, have hailed the EVMs. People who have filed public interest litigations against EVM use have been fined by courts.
Former CEC Sunil Arora too had slammed parties questioning EVMs, saying it should not be used as “political football”.
Kumar recalled that the Commission had published an advertisement in newspapers giving out details of various parties in opposition that have won polls held using the machine.
He said 36,000 papertrail machine (VVPAT) counts have been matched with EVM count and the match between the results of the two have been 100 per cent. He said there has not been a single mismatch, proving the efficacy of the EVMs.
