Reconsider terms of EVM challenge, AAP urges EC

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

A delegation of the AAP today visited the Election Commission and submitted a memorandum requesting the poll panel to reconsider the terms set for next week’s EVM challenge and make it an “open hackathon”.

The AAP has contested the EC’s move to not allow “changing of the motherboard of EVMs” demanding the scope of tampering be kept open.

In the letter to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, AAP’s national secretary Pankaj Gupta said, “We would like to strongly urge you to reconsider the terms of the EVM challenge. Please do not set any such rules and regulations and allow it to be an open hackathon where tampering of any kind can be demonstrated on the machine.”

The AAP, along with some other parties, have alleged that tampering of EVMs is behind the defeat in recent state assembly and civic body polls. The Kejriwal-led party also demonstrated in the Delhi Legislative Assembly how EVMs can be hacked.

Gupta also alleged that the tampering with the motherboards in the EVMs was the reason behind the BJP’s victories in the recent polls.

In response to the allegations, the EC is going to hold an EVM challenge on June 3 in which political parties can inspect machines used in the recently held assembly polls.

According to the EC, the challenge would be open only to national and state parties which contested in recently held assembly polls in five states.