The former Chief Election Commissioner, S.Y. Quraishi, has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to “proactively and aggressively” counter doubts raised by leaders of various political parties over tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), lest they raise doubts on the integrity of the polling process.
Mr. Quraishi, who has authored the book, The Undocumented Wonder: The Great Indian Election, said the electoral process conducted by the Commission was fair and doubts over its integrity need to be dispelled by the organisation.
More than political parties the message should be conveyed to the people, Mr. Quraishi told The Hindu .
“The ECI should communicate to the people on the EVMs so that there is no doubt among the people. All political parties at one time or the another have raised doubts over the EVMs but kept quiet when they won instead of eating their words. It’s the voter who needs to be conveyed the facts,” he said.
The ECI had undertaken before the Supreme Court that the 2019 general election would be held using the Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.
“That would require two million machines. As of now, one million should have been manufactured. It would be good if subsequent elections are held with these VVPAT machines. Some VVPAT machines have been used in this set of elections but their use can be expanded,” he noted.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have questioned the EVMs after massive losses in the just-concluded Assembly polls in five States.
