Quick Take | Why are Congress and other parties bringing the EVM hacking theory now?

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Monday, January 22, witnessed yet another episode of ‘Trust Me, EVMs Can Be Hacked’. The latest to claim that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used by the Election Commission of India (ECI) can be hacked — and have been hacked to manipulate previous election results — is Syed Shuja, a US-based cyber-expert. Shuja levelled multiple allegations against the ECI and various political parties at an event organised by the Indian Journalist Association and the Foreign Press Association in London.

Shuja’s allegations should be treated for what they are — mere allegations which, in the absence of any shred of evidence, must not be entertained.

However, what’s amusing is the enthusiasm political parties (mostly from the Opposition) show in repeating such unsubstantiated claims. West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was quick to say that the ECI should look into Shuja’s claims. Even more surprising was the presence of former Union minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal at the event. Though the Congress has distanced itself from the event and said Sibal attended it in personal capacity, the damage is done.

This is not the first time allegations of EVM tampering/hacking have been made, and Monday’s is unlikely to be the last. The sheer number of allegations show that there are doubts about whether or not the machine is fool-proof. Based on the merit of the allegation and, above all, in the interest of democracy, such doubts need to be addressed.

However, the seasonal fluctuations displayed by political parties which blame the EVM when they lose an election and keep quite when they win reeks of political duplicity. This ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ approach by political parties is detrimental to honest efforts by individuals and groups who doubt the reliability of EVMs and are working to prove it.

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Viju Cherian

Opinion Editor|moneycontrol.com

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What had the Congress to say about EVM tampering when it won three state elections in December? Or did Banerjee raise doubts with the ECI about EVM credibility after the results of the local polls in Bengal held in May?

This raises a question: By lending credence to the EVM hacking theory, is the Congress (and much of the Opposition) leaving a door open to make a graceful exit if the verdict of the general elections is not in their favour?

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