Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor has rejected claims that EVM machines can be rigged and said that M3 EVM machines are tamper proof and would become inoperative when any manipulation is attempted.
“All EVMs are commissioned with full participation of political parties and videographed at every level right from opening of strong room to mock poll,” Kharkongor said. He said there are numerous technical and administrative safeguards and protocols at every step and level.
South Tura UDP candidate John Leslee K Sangma yesterday lodged a complaint against claims made by a person in a viral video that EVMs to be used in the ensuing assembly elections are rigged and that out of 3000 manufactured in Delhi, five have been brought to the Garo Hills.
A FIR has been lodged against a person identified as Bolong R Sangma of Dambo Mrok village for making the claims by the East Garo Hills Returning Officer, Rongjeng LAC.
“The speech has created fear and mistrust in the system in the minds of the people and is completely false and misleading and tantamount to luring of voters,” the RO said.
The Superintendent of Police has been asked to take action against Sangma for inciting suspicion and falsely implicating the state election machinery and tarnishing the image of the Election Commission of India.
Meanwhile the District Election Officers in East and West Garo Hills has warned of action against spreading of baseless misinformation against EVMs under IPC Section 171 G.
According to the DEOs the EVMs are highly secured machines. “There are several checks in place to ensure no such incident ever occurs. They are built, repaired and stored always in secure locations. During the run up to the elections, we have also made wide demonstrations of EVMs in all constituencies and in the market places for people to experience the voting procedure,” the release said.
Informing that there are several stages of checks to rule out any errors as per protocols set by the Election Commission of India, the office said there is the First Level Checking (FLC) whereby all machines are thoroughly checked and machines found defective for any reasons are removed from stock.
All machines are randomised multiple times through a software during allocation to constituencies and polling stations in the presence of political parties.
The office also said mock poll is also conducted on machines by polling votes against each candidate to ascertain that machines are in a fit condition to use on polling day in the presence of political parties during commissioning of the EVMs. Mock poll is again conducted on the EVMs in all polling stations one hour in advance before the start of the poll to again ascertain that no error or objection remains, it said.
