EVMs 100% safe, can’t be hacked: Rajiv Kumar

New Delhi, March 16

Announcing the 18th Lok Sabha election schedule on Saturday, the Election Commission of India vehemently defended the Electronic Voting Machines and said these cannot be hacked under any circumstances, and are 100 per cent safe.

Urging political parties to stop blaming the machines for poll losses and drawing attention to courts having given a clean chit to EVMs after examining the issue on 40 occasions, Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, said, “EVMs are 100 per cent safe. We have made a large number of improvements in the machines. Candidates in the general election will be given each EVM number to know which EVM is going to which booth.”

He said on 40 occasions in the past, the Supreme Court and high courts examined the EVM issue in various respects .

“Constitutional courts have rejected all fears either saying there is no question of a virus or of invalid votes in EVMs orthat rigging is not possible in EVMs,” said Kumar at a time when Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Sam Pitroda have been questioning the credibility of EVMs.

Kumar quoted the courtsand said EVMs were fool-proof devices and allegations of tampering were baseless. “Courts have now started imposing fines on petitions challenging EVMs. The Delhi HC recently imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 crore. The Supreme Court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 crore,” said the CEC, adding that EVMs “cannot be hacked under any circumstances”. He said “social media experts using random tool boxes to peddle needless fears need to stop.”

The CEC also said many smaller parties had come into existence due to EVMs.

“These parties could not have been formed in the age of ballots. Even political parties know this in the heart of their hearts,” he said. “Three mock polls of EVMs are done before candidates during each election,” he added. — TNS

POETIC DEFENCE

CEC Kumar used poetry to defend EVMs saying: “Adhoori hastaron ka ilzam har baar humpar laganaa theek nahi…Wafa khud se nahi hoti, khata EVM ki kehte ho.”

Voter ID at 18 for Class 12 students

new delhi: CEC Rajiv Kumar also said the Commission was working to ensure that class 12 students get their voter IDs as soon as they complete 18 years. “Class 12 students must get voter IDs immediately, as they become eligible and we are doing this by way of receiving advance applications,” he said at a time when the importance of first-time voters was rising. As many as 13.74 lakh advance applications for voter IDs were taken in 2024 from 17 plus age students who were not 18 years on January 1, 2024, but will complete 18 years as on April 1, 2024, and be eligible to vote . This year, EC has added 1.82 crore first-time voters aged 18 to 19 years and 85 lakh of these are girls.