By Ujwala P
New Delhi, Apr 25 (EFE).- Amid India’s ongoing general elections, focus has returned to the paperless electronic voting machines introduced over four decades ago, marking an eventful journey of praise for their speed and security and criticism for vulnerability to fraud.
The quinquennial Indian general elections, which commenced on Apr. 19, reignited the debate over the reliability of these paperless devices used to record and tally hundreds of millions of votes electronically.
For this election, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to secure a record third term in office, the poll regulator has deployed some 5.5 million machines to record the political choices of 968 million eligible voters across a seven-phase voting period, scheduled to conclude on June 1.
First introduced on a pilot basis in 1982 in the southern state of Kerala, the EVM was subsequently rolled out nationwide in 2000.
The 2004 general elections were the first to be conducted entirely on the machines.
Since then, the EVM has been the whipping boy of the opposition and the darling of the election winners – irrespective of the parties or political affiliations.
For example, when Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in opposition until 2014, they used to stress the need to examine the potential vulnerability of EVMs to hacking.
In 2009, veteran Indian politician LK Advani, one of the co-founders of BJP, advocated a return to paper ballots until the election commission could ensure the foolproof integrity of EVMs.
The then government, led by the Indian National Congress (INC), vehemently defended the machines, refuting claims of manipulation.
Circa 2024
With the BJP in power for a decade, the roles have reversed. Now, the Congress party raises concerns about EVM reliability, while the ruling party champions the voting technology.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate highlighted widespread complaints across the country regarding discrepancies between voters’ choices and recorded votes.
“They (voters) feel that they press for one party, and the vote gets registered for another,” Shrinate told EFE, stressing that the poll regulator needed to address the concerns.
Prime Minister Modi dismissed the concerns as a diversionary tactic by the opposition to explain their imminent defeat.
So, what exactly is an EVM?
It is a device on which voters select their chosen candidate by pressing one of the blue buttons corresponding to the candidate’s serial number, name, and symbol, with an option of «none of the above.»
The EVM comprises three units: a ballot unit, a control unit to oversee voting integrity, and a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) unit.
The VVPAT generates a paper slip visible to the voter for approximately seven seconds before it is securely stored in a sealed drop box.
EVMs operate as standalone machines without internet or wired connectivity, using a one-time programmable chip to make them tamper-proof, according to the election body.
The election commission counts and tallies only five random paper audit trails on the EVMs from each of the 543 constituencies to verify the final count.
Critics of EVMs, including civil society groups, advocate for a 100 percent paper trail to ensure the accuracy of the votes cast and dispel any doubts about the integrity of the electoral process.
“If VVPATs are being counted 100 percent (…), it leaves no room for suspicion as far as the fate of the ballot is concerned. And I think that’s what we want the (election) commission to do,” Shrinate told EFE.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-profit working on political reforms, has petitioned the Supreme Court to mandate 100 percent paper verification.
The election commission has opposed this move, calling it «regressive» and citing the time-consuming nature akin to reverting to the old paper ballot system.
“We are not saying that there is foul play, but (…) any machine can be programmed,” ADR head Anil Verma told EFE.
“But people are apprehensive. So, why can’t there be more transparency?” he said.
On Apr. 18, the eve of the first phase of elections, the Supreme Court sought details from the election commission regarding EVMs but reserved judgment on ADR’s plea.
As the Indian elections progress, the debate persists on the technology used in the wonder machine. EFE
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