NEW DELHI: Following voices of concerns on the functioning of EVMs from Opposition parties, the Election Commission on Wednesday came out with an open challenge to anybody to hack its Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the first week of May.
Only this week, at least 16 opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party had approached the poll panel alleging that the EVMs were tampered in the recent state elections. A delegation of Opposition parties also met President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday over the matter.
“We sought attention to the recent critical developments which have seriously undermined governance and institutional integrity. The environment of fear and insecurity has been prevailing in the country and voices of dissent are being muzzled,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
An official with the poll panel said that from first week of May, experts, scientists, technocrats can come for a week or 10 days and try to hack the machines. The challenge will be open for a week or 10 days and will have various levels.
The poll panel had already rejected the allegations of tampering. However, the issue has resurfaced after Aam Aadmi Party had raised questions over the Punjab assembly elections results.
Refuting any tampering in EVMs, the poll panel had said, “The team found no anomaly or tampering with the EVM and VVPAT used during demonstration in Ater (Bhind) on March 31. The inquiry was instituted to probe all aspects of allegations raised in the media and by political parties.”
The Commission had announced a similar challenge in 2009 and it claimed no one could hack its electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Earlier, On Monday, Opposition parties had approached the Election Commission, expressing their complete loss of faith in EVMs and demanded use of VVPAT (voter-verified paper audit trail) and paper ballots in upcoming polls.