EC to prove EVMs are tamper-proof & brief on hackathon challenge

The Election Commission (EC) will today meet leaders of 55 political parties to discuss the issue of tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The EC is also likely to brief the parties about its planned EVM hacking challenge.The meeting becomes all the more important following the demonstration by the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Assembly only a few days ago that Electronic Voting Machines could be tampered with. 

Only days before the proposed meet, the Aam Aadmi Party had staged a demonstration in Delhi Assembly on how a 'voting machine' could be hacked. The AAP had used a prototype of the EVM for the demonstration.

The poll panel had rubbished AAP's claim, saying that the 'machine is a look-alike and not the ECI-EVM'. The date of the proposed challenge would be decided after the all-party meeting.

Some parties have demanded that they be allowed access to the machines that were used in the Uttar Pradesh election.

The EC is also likely to discuss bringing in of other electoral reforms, including disqualifying of candidates named in a chargesheet for bribing voters, making electoral graft a non-bailable offence and easing of rules to order counting of votes through paper trail.

"The Election Commission has convened a meeting with all recognised national and regional political parties on May 12 in New Delhi to discuss issues related to EVM and VVPAT.

"Apart from matters pertaining to EVMs and VVPATs, other issues on the agenda will also cover making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, disqualification on framing of charges for the offences of bribery in elections and suggestions in VVPAT recount rules", the poll panel had said in a statement last week.