EVMs 'safe', 'tamper-proof': CEC Gyanesh Kumar

CEC Gyanesh Kumar (Courtesy: ANI photo)

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are "safe" and "tamper-proof".

He said that EVMs used in India cannot be connected to internet, bluetooth or infrared and it is not possible anyway to tamper with it.

"In India, EVMs are used for polling exercise. Legal scrutiny has been done on EVMs. The EVMs used in India can neither be connected to internet nor bluetooth nor infrared. The EVMs cannot be connected to anything in any way. Therefore, it is not possible to tamper with it. So, India’s EVMs are tamper-proof," Kumar said addressing media persons in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district.

He said over five crore VVPAT (voter-variable paper audit trail) slips have been counted and no discrepancies have been reported so far.

Kumar arrived in Ranchi on Friday evening on a three-day visit to Jharkhand. The CEC on Saturday interacted with election officials in Ramgarh.

"I interacted with returning officers and volunteers here. After meeting them, I felt that there is a strong foundation of democracy in Jharkhand," he said.

He said every citizen of India, who has completed 18 years of age, must become an elector.

Kumar added no appeal (related to EPIC cards) is pending either with district election officer or chief electoral officer (CEO), which means the voter list in Jharkhand is close to 100 per cent satisfactory for voters and others.