Election Commission challenges political parties to hack Electronic Voting Machines, schedules meeting this Sunday

The Election Commission held all-party meeting regarding Electronic Voting Machine issue and other electoral reforms. The meeting started with inaugural address by EC. All seven national and 35/48 state-recognised parties were attending the meeting.

During the meeting, the officer of Election Commission made a detailed presentation on EVM security features. 

While posing a challenge to all political parties to hack EVMs, the Election Commission has scheduled a meeting on Sunday in this regard. 

The Commission had convened the meeting of seven national and 48 state parties to discuss the reliability of EVMs after 16 parties urged it to revert to the ballot paper system claiming faith of people in the machines had eroded.

Days before the proposed meet, the Aam Admi Party had staged a demonstration on hacking a ‘voting machine’ in the Delhi Assembly. The party had used an EMV prototype to make the demonstration.

The EC had trashed AAP’s claim saying the ‘machine is a look-alike and not the ECI-EVM’. The date of the proposed challenge would be decided after the all-party meeting.

Some parties have demanded they be allowed access to the machines used in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Disqualifying candidates named in a charge sheet for bribing voters, making electoral graft a non-bailable offence and easing of rules to order counting of votes through paper trail are some of the other issues Election Commission will discuss with political parties on Friday.

“The Election Commission has convened a meeting with all recognised national and state political parties on May 12 in New Delhi to discuss issue related to EVM and VVPAT.

“In addition to the EVM/VVPAT, the agenda will also cover making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, disqualification on framing of charges for the offences of bribery in elections and suggestions in VVPAT recount Rules,” it had said in a statement last week.

With PTI inputs

Also read: All party meet by Election Commission to discuss Electronic Voting Machines appears to be eyewash, says Digvijaya Singh