On Thursday (28th December), the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda refused to provide proof of ‘hacking’ of EVM machines hours after he said that if EVMs are not fixed, the BJP may win 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In an exclusive interview with the anti-Modi propagandist Ajit Anjum, Pitroda instead asked the Election Commission to prove that the EVMs were tampered with.
Congress leader Sam Pitroda reaffirmed his concerns about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) on Thursday (28th December), claiming that if EVMs are not fixed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP will win 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Sam Pitroda, who recently drew criticism for his remarks about the Ram Mandir, stated a lack of trust in EVMs and even wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) about it.
पित्रोदा- EVM हैक हो सकता है
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) December 29, 2023
अंजुम- इलेक्शन कमीशन ने तो hackathon रखा था कि EVM हैक करके दिखाइए
पित्रोदा- हम क्यों Prove करें कि EVM हैक हो सकता? pic.twitter.com/xejXTomnYK
“I waited for the Election Commission to respond but when it didn’t happen I decided to speak. It has nothing to do with the fact that elections in five states are over and the 2024 election is coming. I feel there is a trust deficit based on this report. And, the Election Commission must respond to rebuild the trust,” he was quoted as saying.
“More power to them if they think they can do it. Great. That is for the country to decide. EVM needs to be fixed before the next election. If EVM is not fixed, 400 may be true. If EVM is fixed, 400 may not be true,” he added.
Further, in the interview with Anjum, he said that the Election Commission should prove and expose that the EVMs are tampered with by the BJP. This is when Anjum referred to the 2017 Election Commission’s EVM Challenge named ‘hackathon’ in which the Commission invited the political parties to present proof regarding the tampering of the EVMs, if any. The Commission then reiterated its claim that voting machines were tamper-proof.
Responding to this, Pitroda, said, “Why are they asking us for proofs? They should prove that EVMs are not tampered with. You prove to me that my vote is counted as cast. You cannot prove that today with an attachment of VVPAT. EVM today is not a standalone machine.”
The issue of EVMs is not new, as opposition parties have repeatedly claimed that the electronic voting machines are rigged in favor of the BJP. All such allegations have been dismissed by the ECI, which has even challenged political parties to prove their claims. The BJP has also targeted opposition parties over the issue, claiming that it is their justification for losing elections.
