BENGALURU: Karnataka RDPR and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to adopt proposals such as a court-monitored ethical hackathon that improve transparency. In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Priyank said that on December 3, 2024, he had written to the CEC outlining concerns regarding the functioning of EVMs and related procedural vulnerabilities and suggested a constructive solution in the form of a court-monitored ethical hackathon and audit backed by the Government of Karnataka.
Priyank said Karnataka is well-placed to carry out such a transparent exercise under judicial and industry oversight to rigorously test the EVM architecture and address public perception issues around electoral integrity.
“At a time when serious questions are being raised about the independence of institutions and the integrity of our elections, it becomes even more urgent to adopt proposals that improve transparency.
Ignoring them only deepens doubts,” he wrote in his letter to the CEC. He urged the ECI to act on the proposal at the earliest, in the interest of preserving public trust in democracy.