Digvijaya Singhs Fresh Attack on EVMs: Demands VVPAT Slips for Voters

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh reignited the debate over the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by questioning their security and demanding that voters be provided with VVPAT slips to ensure transparency in the electoral process.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has once again raised questions about the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and demanded that voters be handed over VVPAT slips that can then be put in ballot boxes.

Singh's Concerns About EVMs

Singh, who has been a vocal critic of EVMs for many years, stated that he does not trust these machines and believes that they can be hacked. He pointed out that there is no machine in the world with a chip that cannot be hacked, and that the chip will follow the orders of the software embedded in it.

Singh also referred to a video that raises questions about the use of EVMs in elections. He said that if a voter presses the Congress poll symbol on the EVM, but the software says lotus (the BJP's election symbol), then the VVPAT machine may show panja for 7 seconds, but the printed slip will show lotus. He urged people to watch the video by Rahul Mehta to understand this issue.

Opposition's Demand for Ballot Papers

Singh reiterated the Opposition's demand that elections be conducted through ballot paper, as is done in all developed countries. He argued that this would take more time for counting, but the public would have confidence that their vote went to the person they intended it to.

Singh criticized the Election Commission for not giving time to the INDIA bloc, a group of opposition parties, to meet and discuss their concerns about EVMs. He questioned why the Election Commission is so busy that it cannot even meet with the opposition.

Seeking Legal Recourse

Singh suggested that the opposition parties may need to take legal action or take to the streets to protest against the use of EVMs. He emphasized the need for political parties, especially INDIA, to decide on a course of action soon.

VVPAT Slips and Software Concerns

Singh also responded to a post by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who shared a video about pre-VVPAT EVMs. Singh argued that the Election Commission would dismiss this issue as settled since voters can now see which candidate they have voted for for 7 seconds. However, he questioned why voters should not have the printed VVPAT slip in their hands to ensure that what they have seen has been correctly printed.

Singh raised concerns about the software used in EVMs and who has written and loaded it into the system. He called for transparency by asking the Election Commission to put the software in the public domain.

Singh's remarks come amid growing concerns among opposition parties about the integrity of EVMs. The INDIA bloc has asserted that there are doubts about the functioning of EVMs and has suggested that VVPAT slips be handed over to voters and its 100% counting done later. The Election Commission, however, maintains that mandatory verification of printed VVPAT slips is done in case of election to the House of the People before declaring results.