"Let EVM Rest Till Next Election," Says Election Commissioner Disparaging Suspectors

Taking a dig at those who suspect the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Thursday asked the critics to leave machines ‘to rest until the next elections’.

Speaking to the media, the poll body chief said that the EVMs has been accused of being tempered with for the past 20-22 elections, and its credibility was also always questioned, “but at the end, they have always shown the results”, he said.

“The results of EVM are in front of everyone. Why accuse that poor fellow? Let it rest for a few days. Let EVM rest till the next election. Then it will come out, then its battery will be changed, then its papers will be changed. Then it will get abused again, but will deliver good results. It has been showing similar results since the last 20-22 elections, the government keeps changing,” the election commissioner was quoted by the news agency ANI.

The election commissioner added that the EVMs faced allegations perhaps because they used to be accused at the time of their birth, but it is very reliable now and has become neutral in every way and does its work.

Read also: ECI Issues Guidelines For EVM Verification; Runners-Up Need To Pay Rs 40,000 + GST

Members of the opposition parties had accused the EVMs of  potential tampering, demanding a replacement with the traditional ballot paper system. The Congress party had accused the BJP of tampering with EVMs alleging that the machines led to the saffron party’s victory in  Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Read also: District Official Issues Show Cause Notice Regarding EVM: What Happened In Karimganj Lok Sabha Elections

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Digvijaya Singh, had claimed that the BJP leaders and workers knew the Assembly Election results days before the vote counting. However, reacting to a petition claiming EVM irregularities, the Supreme Court had in March this year refused the allegations, saying that it cannot go by assumptions. The Court had also stated that it has examined more than ten cases on issues about EVMs.