The reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs) was discussed at an interaction between citizens and Shivaji Jondhale, Collector and District Election Officer, Mumbai City, and Milind Borikar, Collector and District Election Officer, Mumbai Suburbs, on Tuesday.
The event was organised by Together VCAN, a non-governmental organisation that works to increase public participation in governance and policy making, and addressed several concerns raised by citizens at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club in Colaba.
Questions regarding the Assembly elections were taken from the people present as well as through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The State will go to polls on October 21.
On the reliability of the EVMs, which has been a hot topic after the recent general elections, Mr. Jondhale said, “There shouldn’t be any doubt about the EVM machine as it is a standalone machine and does not require a network connection. Any device has to be connected to a network to be hacked, which is not the case with EVMs. In fact, recently, the Election Commission of India issued an open challenge to all the people in India to hack the EVM machine, but nobody could do it.”
Mr. Borikar said, “The presiding officer is supposed to keep the EVM in his presence from the moment it is handed out to him till the time elections are completed.”
Meanwhile, the Assembly elections will be more friendly towards persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens to increase their turnout, the officers said. “In order to make elections more accessible for PWDs, several measures have been initiated such as 300 new wheelchairs, transport facilities, shifting of approximately 600 polling stations of Mumbai city and 1,700 polling stations of Mumbai suburban from the first and second floor to the ground floor, and volunteers at every polling station to assist the PWDs,” Mr. Jondhale said.
The Election Commission of India has also unveiled an app through which PWDs can request transport facilities, while automated wheelchairs capable of climbing stairs will also be provided, the officers said.
