Ever since electronic voting machines were introduced, the occasional complaint of their vulnerability to tampering has been dismissed as being the usual rant of the desperate and the defeated. But after reading Subramanian Swamy's article (Sept. 2), we need to be reassured of the machine's security. The Election Commission must give the Doubting Thomases a platform to demonstrate their points. Though the commission has the duty of conducting one of the world's toughest and most complex democratic processes, it should not be one-sided in handling queries.
K.B. Subramonian,
Mysore
Considering that the EVMs constitute one of the pillars of our electoral process, citizens must know the other side of the story. That any electronic machine can be hacked is a universal fact.
Gince K. Mattam,
New Delhi
Dr. Swamy's claim that ECIL's and BEL's advisers belong to the “diode and triode era” is unacceptable. The engineers have helped in raising the level of electronics technology in India to a commendable level.
Naval Kishore,
Ghaziabad
Efficiency cannot be allowed at the cost of transparency. That most of Europe has not taken to the EVM lends credence to the paranoia that surrounds the machine. The ECI's defiance is uncalled for.
Arunjyoti Das,
New Delhi
Why doesn't the ECI consider the idea of a paper trail? Electronic machines can malfunction. An automatic teller machine can give out notes of different denominations. There are other examples. Relying wholly on electronic equipment is dangerous.
S. Prakash,
Tiruchi
