Besides being free and fair, the electoral process in the world’s largest democracy should be above suspicion. It’s in this light that what happened in a mock poll conducted on Wednesday in Kerala’s Kasaragod assumes significance. During the pre-poll exercise, the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine attached to the electronic voting machine (EVM) issued 11 printouts when only 10 votes—one each for the constituency’s 10 candidates—were cast. The extra slip had the lotus symbol, raising doubts once again about the reliability of EVMs and the fairness of elections.
Dismissing reports that votes were erroneously logged in favour of the BJP, the Election Commission explained that a VVPAT slip that had not been printed during the initial inspection was printed during the mock poll. Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said the message ‘Not to be counted’ was printed on the particular slip that was also longer than the others, which, according to the official, made it evident it was from the preliminary process. Significantly, the matter was also mentioned in the Supreme Court, which is hearing a batch of petitions seeking a direction to ensure that voters can verify their votes through VVPAT slips. On being asked to explain what happened in Kasaragod, the EC told the top court that the allegations were false.
It’s not the first time that doubts have been raised about the credibility of EVMs. And every time, the EC has countered the allegations with claims of how they cannot be tampered with. The trustworthiness of EVMs has been the subject of many lawsuits—it’s one such judicial intervention that led to the introduction of the VVPAT system. But that has not stopped parties and candidates from repeatedly airing suspicion.
In a welcome reassurance, the SC on Thursday gave its vote of confidence to EVMs, telling the petitioners not to be “over-suspicious” about everything and be appreciative of the EC’s efforts to clarify doubts. That should help restore faith in EVMs and uphold the sanctity of the electoral process. While the EC has the onerous responsibility of proving beyond doubt—repeatedly, if necessary—that there is nothing wrong with EVMs, political parties are morally bound to ensure that they do not vitiate the election atmosphere by making baseless claims and creating doubts in the minds of people.