'Right to question...in-built in democracy': CEC's last press conference
What's the story
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar held his last press conference on Tuesday, announcing the schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections. The event marked the end of his tenure, which lasted over four years. Kumar will retire next month after overseeing these elections scheduled for February 5. "Right to question is inherent in democracy, it's our duty to clear all doubts," said CEC Rajiv Kumar on allegations of poll process manipulation.
EVM defense
CEC addresses criticism, defends EVMs in final briefing
However, he was uncomfortable with the unwarranted criticism of district election officials. Calling India a "gold standard of elections," Kumar said it was a shared heritage that included all political parties. He said "disclosure" is a key strength of the Election Commission and political parties are involved in all processes, from commissioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to counting votes.
Party pressure
CEC urges political parties to avoid undue pressure
Further, Kumar urged political parties not to exert "undue pressure" on district election officers and Returning Officers. Addressing concerns about EVM tampering, he said these issues had been addressed multiple times, including in court. He said since 2019, there had been no mismatches between VVPAT slips and EVM counts when five randomly selected EVMs were counted in each Assembly segment.