EC's EVM hackathon today

The Election Commission's EVM challenge will take place today as scheduled after the Uttarakhand High Court on Friday dismissed a PIL against the move.

The PIL had sought a stay on the hackathon challenge being organised by the poll panel after several parties had alleged EVM tampering.

The challenge will be held from 10 am to 2 pm today.

The Election Commission has pulled out 14 electronic voting machines used in the recent assembly polls from its strong rooms in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand there for Saturday's challenge.

Two parties, the NCP and the CPM will participate in the EVM challenge.

Since the two had not given their preference for the EVMs, the Commission has brought these machines -- from Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar in UP, Patiala and Bhatinda from Punjab and Dehradun from Uttarakhand.

While each participating party can use a maximum of four EVMs for the challenge, sources in the commission said extra machines were also kept as back up keeping in mind any eventuality. The challengers will get four hours each to tamper with the machines. Two separate counters have been set up for the CPM and the NCP to participate in the challenge.

Members of a technical committee which helps the EC evaluate the EVMs would judge the proceedings. Announcing the contours of the 'EVM challenge', the EC had said it has been divided into two parts.

First, the parties will have to prove that the EVMs used in the assembly elections in the five states were tampered with to favour a particular candidate or political party by altering the results stored in them.

Under part two of the challenge, the participants will have to prove that the EVMs used in the assembly polls were manipulated before or on the poll day.