On 31st December, Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh criticised Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Election Commission, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Singh voiced his “concerns” over possible hacking of EVM machines while quoting a video of controversial YouTuber Manmohan Mishra. Expressing his gratitude to Manmohan for his “outspokenness” on the issue, Singh called for returning to ballot papers for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
धन्यवाद मुनमोहन जी महाराज। आपने EVM चुनाव आयोग व मोदी जी पर बोल कर जो साहस दिखाया है आपके चरणों में प्रणाम। मैं २००३ से कह रहा हूँ मुझे EVM पर भरोसा नहीं है। मैं जहां वोट देना चाहता हूँ मुझे यही पता नहीं पड़ता मेरा वोट कहाँ गया। ऐंसी कोई मशीन विश्व में नहीं है जिसमें चिप डाला हो…
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) December 31, 2023
In his statement, Singh said he has voiced his concerns over EVMs since 2003. He lost his Chief Minister post to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti. After Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur became CM of the state, followed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Madhya Pradesh has been under BJP rule since 2003 except for two years when Congress leader Kamal Nath became Chief Minister. However, due to internal politics, the Congress-led government fell like a house of cards.
In his statement, Digvijaya Singh questioned the reliability of EVMs and claimed he is always uncertain about the destination of his vote. He further claimed that as EVM is a machine with a “chip,” it is not immune to hacking. He claimed if a voter selects one option on EVM, the software may direct it to register a different option. Digvijaya Singh also raised apprehensions about Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), which display the selected candidate’s symbol. He claimed that VVPAT may show one symbol but print another.
Singh called for a return to ballot papers for elections to “instil trust in voters” that their choices are “accurately recorded”. As an alternate, he suggested that the voters should get the VVPAT slip and be allowed to drop them in a box themselves, eliminating any doubts.
Manmohan Majaraj’s rant against PM Modi, the Election Commission and EVMs
Digvijaya Singh referred to the video from controversial YouTuber Manmohan Mishra’s channel. In his video, Mishra claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi used hacked EVMs in the Assembly Elections of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. He claimed that the hacked EVMs were used as there was dissent against PM Modi in these states. Manmohan Mishra further claimed that these victories were manufactured since people were shocked how BJP won in these three states. He highlighted that there has been a growing demand for a return to ballot papers in the country.
Mishra accused PM Modi of manipulative tactics. He also claimed that Vice President and Chairperson of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar, suspended the Members of Parliament (MPs) on PM Modi’s instructions as he wanted several bills to be passed. He also argued that by changing the process to select Election Commission officials laid down by the Supreme Court, PM Modi has created a lack of impartiality in the commission.
Mishra has been making anti-Modi and anti-BJP videos for a long time. In August 2021, he was arrested by UP Police for making derogatory remarks against CM Yogi Adityanath.
Leaders must learn to respect the mandate.
A disturbing trend has emerged since PM Modi and the BJP started winning elections in 2014. In the aftermath of the elections, the opposition leaders of Congress, CPI, AAP, SP, and others hastily claimed that EVMs were tampered with. The knee-jerk reaction is not only a blunt refusal to accept defeat but an insult to the democratic choice of the voters.
When the leaders cry “EVM hacking” without any substantial proof, they undermine the foundation of democracy. These allegations suggest that the choice of the voters was invalid or manipulated. The narrative is dangerous and erodes trust in the democratic institutions. Interestingly, even in Mishra’s video, he claimed the hacking was done only in the states where BJP won. In Telangana and Manipur, the BJP did not hack the EVMs, according to Mishra and others who cry EVM hacking after every election.
These claims often lack credible evidence. It is more of a face-saving tactic after a shameful defeat at the hands of the BJP. It is high time that the leaders learn to accept defeat with grace and respect the voters’ choice. Democracy is based on the principles of fair play and respect for the electorate’s verdict. If the opposition fails to acknowledge that, the voters will throw them out of the election process to the point of no return.
Before Digvijaya, Prashant Bhushan, YouTuber Pragya Mishra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Congress leader Anshu Awasthi and many others have raised irresponsible claims against EVMs and VVPATs.
