Election Commission has confirmed what OpIndia.com had been reporting about the alleged tampered EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) that was used during a demonstration in Bhind region of Madhya Pradesh ahead of an assembly bye-poll.
The commission has found that the media reports claiming some fault in the EVM were ‘completely false’. Some reports had claimed that the VVPAT machine attached with the EVM was printing only the lotus symbol (BJP’s election symbol) when different buttons were pressed.
As we had reported initially, such reports were erroneous and the mainstream media deliberately ignored some other local media reports that had confirmed that pressing different buttons on the EVM were printing different symbols through the VVPAT machine.
“The technical examination of the ballot unit and control unit and VVPAT of 31st March demonstration, oral examination of the officials present during the demonstration, data retrieved from the control unit have conclusively established that… on pressing of various buttons on EVM during the demonstration, corresponding symbols were displayed,” the Election Commission said by issuing a statement.
Earlier, the Election Commission had also rubbished media reports that suggested that the EVM used during demonstration in Bhind was earlier used during Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. In reality, only the VVPAT printing machine was used during the UP elections, but the clueless media reported it as EVM.
Although this entire controversy appeared contrived and malicious from the very beginning, the Election Commission had formed a special inquiry team headed by the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh to look into the matter.
“The accuracy of functioning of the EVMs and VVPATs including the said EVM/VVPAT is beyond doubt,” the EC report stated.
Regarding the light-hearted banter by the Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Saleena Singh, where she joked about putting journalists in jail, the Election Commission said that senior officers should avoid casual remarks when on duty, and the sanctity of the electoral process should be maintained.
Now it remains to be seen if politicians like Arvind Kejriwal will respect this sanctity and apologise for his nearly crazy outbursts that were based on erroneous reporting by the media, and also if the mainstream media will accept that some in their fraternity are incompetent and apologise for creating this controversy.
