17 opposition parties demand paper ballot in 2019
What's the story
More than a year after the Election Commission (EC) declared all elections will be held through EVMs, 17 opposition parties are demanding a return to the ballot paper system.
This rare show of unity is over contentions that EVMs, and even VVPATs, are being rigged and vote counts manipulated.
However, when the EC dared parties to prove such rigging, none could. Very few even showed up.
About
Know your voting systems: EVMs vs VVPATs
The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) allows citizens to anonymously cast votes by pressing the button for their chosen candidate/party.
The vote on the balloting unit is registered in the control unit, which is kept with the polling officer.
The Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an extended feature of EVM, wherein details of the vote registered are printed instantly on a paper slip so voters can verify it.
Problems
What's wrong with EVMs and VVPATs?
The EVM-VVPAT, considered the easier and more advanced technique, was introduced in 2013, but critics soon raised issues.
Problems were at multiple levels, they said: a small component of the machine could be replaced with a look-alike which could steal a percentage of votes in favor of some candidate.
Moreover, a pocket-sized device could change the votes stored in EVMs between elections and counting.
Definition
What is paper ballot?
In the paper ballot system, voters have to mark their choice of candidate/party on ballot papers, which are then dropped into the ballot box. To determine results, the ballot papers have to be manually counted to know the number of votes.
Parties
Opposition to raise issue in parliament, then appeal to EC
Parties including Congress, TMC, NCP, TDP and even BJP ally Shiv Sena have demanded ballot papers for 2019.
Among non-NDA parties, only AIADMK, TRS and BJD aren't in.
They have alleged that the BJP is securing wins in various states due to manipulated EVMs.
The parties will hold a meeting Monday, then raise the issue in parliament, followed by appealing to the EC.
EC
EC arranged a hackathon, but not many parties came
On its part, the EC has repeatedly urged leaders not to raise doubts on EVMs publicly, maintaining the machines are tamper-proof.
Last year, it even held an open hackathon and asked parties to demonstrate such alleged malpractices.
However, only two of seven national and 65 regional parties confirmed participation.
AAP and Congress refused to participate, protesting the EC's restrictions on how EVMs are hacked.
BJP
Opposition doesn't question EVMs when they win: BJP leader
BJP's Anil Baluni questioned the opposition's motives. "They don't make a hue and cry when they win an election conducted through EVMs. The problem isn't with EVMs, but with the intention of these parties."
Experts, meanwhile, said the EC should work towards increasing trust in EVMs.
"There's no problem with EVMs, but there may be concerns over the process; EC must address those," said Jagdeep Chhokar of ADAR.