https://sputniknews.in/20230529/ex-poll-chief-slams-campaign-against-electronic-voting-machines-as-ill-informed-2177985.html
India's Ex-Poll Chief Vouches for Electronic Voting Machines
India's Ex-Poll Chief Vouches for Electronic Voting Machines
Sputnik India
Dr. Quraishi served as the 17 Chief Election Commissioner of India (2010-2012). He was appointed the poll body's head during Congress party-led Manmohan Singh Government at the federal level.
2023-05-29T11:23+0530
2023-05-29T11:23+0530
2023-05-30T15:27+0530
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In an exclusive interaction with Sputnik, former Indian Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi strongly defended the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) during polls.Dr. Quraishi served as the 17 Chief Election Commissioner of India (2010-2012). He was appointed to run the polling body at the federal level during the Congress party-led Manmohan Singh Government.The debate over the Electronic Voting System (EVS) holds significance since just months are left ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary elections.Electronic Voting Machines: A Curse, or a Blessing?In the recently held Karnataka elections, the ruling BJP could win 66 seats, while the main opposition Congress party triumphed with 135 seats, and the Janata Dal (Secular) won 19 seats. In Himachal, the incumbent BJP could secure only 25 seats while its arch-rival Congress went on to form the government after winning 40 seats."What is the effort that [the BJP] did not spare to win these elections? And [still] they did so badly. If the machines were manipulative, they would have been through. After all that, the controversy should end immediately. Because it's all humbug -- EVS are bad," the former bureaucrat added.Talking of the ballot paper era before the 1980s, Dr. Quraishi sought to remind those years when almost every polling would spark off allegations of booth capturing, especially in remote areas of the country. "And how can you forget what happened in the ballot paper days? How the booth-capturing was done... If we returned to ballot papers, won’t booth capturing also come back?""At the moment, it is five machines as under the Supreme Court's order."And I even say why not 100? Suppose, it will take half a day more. So? But the demand for ballot papers at least will vanish. Because it is like counting a ballot paper. And any shadow on the credibility of elections would go, he stated."So, we should see what improvements are possible and desirable within the given system," he suggested.In the light of various political parties casting aspersions, when Qureshi was asked how would he rate the EVM's efficiency on a scale of 1 to 10, he said: "I think 9 on 10, if not 10.""How many VVPATs to count is the only issue before me. The rest is all sorted out," he concluded.Congress Believes EVMs Lie at Core of Electoral ProcessIndia's main opposition party Congress, which convincingly humbled the incumbent BJP governments in Karnataka and Himachal state polls, believes since EVMs lie at the core of the electoral process, any doubt must be addressed. It believes a majority of people lack faith in the EVMs.Talking to Sputnik, Advisor to Congress President Gurdeep Singh Sappal said: "The Election Commission had committed that they will soon call an all-party meeting on the question of EVMs and their credibility. That meeting is yet being awaited."He said in case of any doubt, those ballot box slips or VVPAT slips can be counted for the entire constituency. "We are not asking to throw out the EVMs. We are saying please address the concerns of the people."The EVMs were also objected to by the opposition Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh state over alleged theft of the voting machines. Indian Electronic Voting System (EVS) at a GlanceUnder the EVS, people vote through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which has dramatically simplified the conventional ballot system: previously, one was to put the voting mark on or near the symbol of the chosen candidate on the Ballot Paper, fold it properly before putting it into the ballot box.But now the voter is required to just press a blue button on the Ballot Unit and the vote gets registered.The most prominent advantage of using EVMs is that it has eliminated the probability of casting 'Invalid Votes' which used to take place at a large scale in polls. At times, the counting of 'Invalid Votes' exceeded the winning margin, leading to numerous complaints and litigations.Also, the EVMs have felicitated a more authentic and exact reflection of the electorate's choice and saved millions of ballot papers needed in every election earlier. It has also helped to get the results within three to five hours. Earlier, it could take around 50 hours.How Did EVS & VVPATs Come Into Use?In 1982, India's top poll body -- the Election Commission of India (ECI) -- introduced Electronic Voting System (EVS) for the first time at 50 polling stations of Kerala state's Paravur Assembly constituency.In elections, the battery-operated EVMs are attached to VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) -- an independent system -- which enables voters to verify if their votes were cast as intended or not.Once a vote is cast, a paper slip gets printed stating the serial number, name, and symbol of the candidate. For seven seconds, such a slip remains exposed via a transparent window. Later, the slip automatically falls into the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.In 2013, the federal government enabled the poll commission to use VVPAT with EVMs. Thus, the VVPATs with EVMs were put to use for the first time in a bye-election from the 51-Noksen (ST) Assembly Constituency of Nagaland state, as per Election Commission's official statistics.For checking, only authorized engineers of the manufacturers, namely Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), can conduct the first-level checking of EVMs and VVPATs under the control of the District Election Officer (DEO) and direct supervision of Deputy DEO. It's done in the presence of the representative of political parties under videography.
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India's Ex-Poll Chief Vouches for Electronic Voting Machines
11:23 29.05.2023 (Updated: 15:27 30.05.2023) The political parties have been quick to target the reliability of EVMs after every poll loss, but Dr. Quraishi points out that the recent state assembly election results should end the skepticism about the EVMs.
In an exclusive interaction with Sputnik, former Indian Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi strongly defended the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) during polls.
Dr. Quraishi served as the 17 Chief Election Commissioner of India (2010-2012). He was appointed to run the polling body at the federal level during the Congress party-led Manmohan Singh Government.
The debate over the Electronic Voting System (EVS) holds significance since just months are left ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary elections.
Electronic Voting Machines: A Curse, or a Blessing?
In the recently held Karnataka elections, the ruling BJP could win 66 seats, while the main opposition Congress party triumphed with 135 seats, and the Janata Dal (Secular) won 19 seats.
In Himachal, the incumbent BJP could secure only 25 seats while its arch-rival Congress went on to form the government after winning 40 seats.
"I don't agree with [the opposition] at all. The EVMs have been doing a good job. And what better proof do you want than the latest election results in Karnataka and three months ago in Himachal Pradesh, two years ago in West Bengal state," former CEC Dr. Quraishi stated when asked if the opposition political parties' casting aspersions on the country's electronic voting system is justified.
"What is the effort that [the BJP] did not spare to win these elections? And [still] they did so badly. If the machines were manipulative, they would have been through. After all that, the controversy should end immediately. Because it's all humbug -- EVS are bad," the former bureaucrat added.
Talking of the ballot paper era before the 1980s, Dr. Quraishi sought to remind those years when almost every polling would spark off allegations of booth capturing, especially in remote areas of the country. "And how can you forget what happened in the ballot paper days? How the booth-capturing was done... If we returned to ballot papers, won’t booth capturing also come back?"
"At the moment, it is five machines as under the Supreme Court's order."
And I even say why not 100? Suppose, it will take half a day more. So? But the demand for ballot papers at least will vanish. Because it is like counting a ballot paper. And any shadow on the credibility of elections would go, he stated.
"So, we should see what improvements are possible and desirable within the given system," he suggested.
In the light of various political parties casting aspersions, when Qureshi was asked how would he rate the EVM's efficiency on a scale of 1 to 10, he said: "I think 9 on 10, if not 10."
"How many VVPATs to count is the only issue before me. The rest is all sorted out," he concluded.
Congress Believes EVMs Lie at Core of Electoral Process
India's main opposition party Congress, which convincingly humbled the incumbent BJP governments in Karnataka and Himachal state polls, believes since EVMs lie at the core of the electoral process, any doubt must be addressed. It believes a majority of people lack faith in the EVMs.
Talking to Sputnik, Advisor to Congress President Gurdeep Singh Sappal said: "The Election Commission had committed that they will soon call an all-party meeting on the question of EVMs and their credibility. That meeting is yet being awaited."
"Our stand has been same before and after Karnataka elections... We know that even if there are some questions regarding EVMs, we have to work beyond the margin and secure larger margins to achieve victory. That is our push now...One of the solutions that we have given them is that the VVPATs can be handed over to people. And then they can put it in a ballot box, a separately sealed ballot box."
He said in case of any doubt, those ballot box slips or VVPAT slips can be counted for the entire constituency. "We are not asking to throw out the EVMs. We are saying please address the concerns of the people."
The EVMs were also objected to by the opposition Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh state over alleged theft of the voting machines.
Indian Electronic Voting System (EVS) at a Glance
Under the EVS, people vote through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which has dramatically simplified the conventional ballot system: previously, one was to put the voting mark on or near the symbol of the chosen candidate on the Ballot Paper, fold it properly before putting it into the ballot box.
But now the voter is required to just press a blue button on the Ballot Unit and the vote gets registered.
The most prominent advantage of using EVMs is that it has eliminated the probability of casting 'Invalid Votes' which used to take place at a large scale in polls. At times, the counting of 'Invalid Votes' exceeded the winning margin, leading to numerous complaints and litigations.
Also, the EVMs have felicitated a more authentic and exact reflection of the electorate's choice and saved millions of ballot papers needed in every election earlier. It has also helped to get the results within three to five hours. Earlier, it could take around 50 hours.
How Did EVS & VVPATs Come Into Use?
In 1982, India's top poll body -- the Election Commission of India (ECI) -- introduced Electronic Voting System (EVS) for the first time at 50 polling stations of Kerala state's Paravur Assembly constituency.
In elections, the battery-operated EVMs are attached to VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) -- an independent system -- which enables voters to verify if their votes were cast as intended or not.
Once a vote is cast, a paper slip gets printed stating the serial number, name, and symbol of the candidate. For seven seconds, such a slip remains exposed via a transparent window. Later, the slip automatically falls into the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.
In 2013, the federal government enabled the poll commission to use VVPAT with EVMs. Thus, the VVPATs with EVMs were put to use for the first time in a bye-election from the 51-Noksen (ST) Assembly Constituency of Nagaland state, as per Election Commission's official statistics.
For checking, only authorized engineers of the manufacturers, namely Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), can conduct the first-level checking of EVMs and VVPATs under the control of the District Election Officer (DEO) and direct supervision of Deputy DEO. It's done in the presence of the representative of political parties under videography.
