EC needs to do more than just blame the heat wave for malfunctioning EVMs and VVPATs
The controversy over faulty EVMs once again raised its head on May 28 as people turned out to vote in the by-elections to four Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats across the country.
The concerns over the functioning of EVMs are particularly important because general elections in the country are just a year away.
The Election Commission of India could possibly be right in saying that the reports of large-scale failure of EVMs are exaggerated, but it is not a concern that the electoral body can ignore given the sanctity of the electoral process in the country.
The EC can't deny that reports of faulty EVMs increased towards the evening from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh where the BJP has invested all its energies to take on the combined might of the Opposition forces.
The EC has, meanwhile, blamed Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the problem giving a clean chit to EVMs. The poll body has said that it was the heat and dust due to which VVPATs developed snags.
It is fortunate that the public which could not exercise its right to vote has not lost its cool so far despite hearing such explanations for what happened.
In Kairana, the problem led to polling being stopped for over two hours ensuring not more than 54 per cent votes were cast, while about 61 per cent votes were cast for Noorpur Assembly by-poll.
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidate, Tabassum Hassan, alleged that voting was affected only in Muslim areas and demanded a re-polling in 238 booths across five Assembly constituencies. Hassan alleged a conspiracy to stop Muslims from voting.
Some used the occasion to raise a demand to return to ballot paper in elections.
आज कहा जा रहा है कि गर्मी के कारण EVM मशीन काम नहीं कर रही है, कल कहेंगे बारिश और ठंड की वजह से ऐसा हो रहा है. कुछ लोग जनता को लाइन में खड़ा रखकर अपनी सत्ता की हनक दिखाना चाहते हैं. हम पेपर बैलेट वोटिंग की माँग को एक बार फिर दोहराते हैं. #BackToBallotSaveDemocracy #NoToEVM
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 28, 2018
The same story was repeated during the polling for two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra — Bhandara-Gondia and Palghar. A steep rise in the mercury was the alleged culprit here too.
Maheshtala Assembly constituency in West Bengal, however, remained unaffected by the problem.
Parties such as the Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena and some senior Congress leaders made a pitch for returning to the ballot paper.
While many, including this writer, had made a case for the introduction of VVPATS in the electoral process, excuses such as heat and dust for people being denied their voting rights is unacceptable.
One can only hope that the Election Commission of India will rise to the occasion and ensure the people's faith in the electoral process is not shaken and India continues to be the mature and strong democracy that it is.