Maharashtra Opposition Alliance MVA and NGOs to Address EVM Misuse in Upcoming Seminar

Maharashtra's opposition coalition, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), along with several NGOs, plans to host a seminar on Saturday to discuss the alleged misuse of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Vidya Chavan, a leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), shared this information on Wednesday. She mentioned that experts had previously demonstrated to Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and party leader Aaditya Thackeray how EVMs could potentially be misused.

The demonstration took place at Matoshri, the Thackerays' residence in Mumbai's Bandra area. A similar session was conducted for state NCP SP president Jayant Patil on Tuesday. This initiative follows the MVA's claims of EVM manipulation during the recent Maharashtra assembly elections, where they faced significant losses. The opposition has attributed their poor performance to these machines.

Seminar on EVM Misuse

Scheduled for December 14, the seminar aims to showcase how EVMs can be misused. Aaditya Thackeray and NCP SP MLA Uttam Jankar are expected to attend. Jankar represents Malshiras in Solapur district, which includes Markarwadi village. Some residents there have demanded a return to ballot paper voting instead of using EVMs.

In January, a press conference is anticipated in Mumbai to further address EVM misuse concerns. Vidya Chavan indicated that prominent figures like Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP SP president Sharad Pawar are likely to participate.

Official Stance on EVM Security

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kiran Kulkarni has assured that EVMs are secure and tamper-proof. In an interview, he stated, "These machines are standalone devices with no external connectivity, making hacking impossible." He explained that the chip in EVMs is one-time programmable, preventing any alterations.

Kulkarni emphasized that stringent security measures and administrative protocols are in place to avert tampering. The Supreme Court-mandated Checking and Verification (C&V) procedure allows candidates to request verification of specific EVMs and VVPATs if there are suspicions of malfunction.

A VVPAT is linked to an EVM through a printer port. It records vote data and counters on a paper slip to confirm the machine's accurate vote recording. Kulkarni reiterated his confidence in the reliability of EVMs: "I want to emphasize the reliability of EVMs."

The ongoing debate over EVM security highlights differing perspectives between political parties and electoral authorities. While opposition parties express concerns about potential misuse, officials maintain that robust systems ensure election integrity.