EC's challenge with EVMs used in recent polls

The Election Commission on Friday said it will offer political parties an opportunity to prove that electronic voting machines used in the recent assembly polls were tampered with.

A "challenge" is on the cards, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi told a meeting of political parties here, going on record for the first time regarding the EC's proposed move to counter allegations of EVM tampering.

It will offer an opportunity to political parties to demonstrate that EVMs used in recent elections were tampered with or that EVMs can be tampered with even under strict technical and administrative safeguards as applicable during elections, Zaidi said. He, however, did not give any date for the proposed challenge which he announced in his opening remarks at the meeting.

Zaidi also said the Commission has "no favourites" and it was equidistant from all parties.

"You should be convinced that EC has no favourites...we maintain equidistance from all parties and groups. It is our constitutional and moral duty to stand dead centre of the circle drawn around us by 56 political parties (seven national and 49 state recognised parties)," he said. In another major decision, the poll panel has decided to conduct all future elections -- both parliamentary or state assemblies --- by using only VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail system) with EVMs. "The use of VVPAT with EVMs will ensure total credibility and transparency and put to rest all controversy," Zaidi said, adding that VVPATs slips of a percentage of EVMs to be determined by the ECI would be counted and the poll body would soon evolve a framework in this regard.

At the meet, representatives of all seven national parties were present, while only 35 out of the 48 state recognised political parties turned up to raise their EVM concern. At the meet, both the ruling party (BJP) and principal opposition (Congress) supported the use of EVMs in polls.