ECI says its EVMs are non-tamperable

Giving a live demo in the Delhi Assembly, Aam Aadmi Party legislator Saurabh Bhardwaj  claimed that Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs can be rigged.

The ECI, however, rejected the claims and said in a statement: "|The Election Commission, through media, has learnt about a so called demonstration of tampering of ‘look-alike’ EVM. In this context it should be understood that it is possible for anyone to make any electronic gadget which ‘looks-like’  ECI EVM and demonstrate any Magic or Tampering."

"Very simply put, any 'look-alike'' machine is just a different gadget, which is manifestly designed and made to function in a ‘tampered’ manner and has no relevance, incidence or bearing on the Commission's EVMs. It is commonsense that gadgets other than ECI EVMs can be programmed to perform in a pre-determined way, but it simply cannot be implied that ECI EVMs will behave in the same manner because the ECI EVMs are Technically Secured and function under an elaborate Administrative and Security Protocol," it said.

The statement further said: "Such so called demonstration on extraneous and duplicate gadgets which are not owned by the ECI cannot be exploited to influence our Intelligent Citizens & Electorate to assail or vilify the EVMs used by the Commission in its electoral process."

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said it has scheduled an All Political Parties meeting on May 12 to discuss the controversy related to EVMs.