NEW DELHI: Tech mogul Elon Muskโs recent tweet advocating for the replacement of electronic voting machines (EVMs) with paper ballots has ignited a heated debate on the security and transparency of electoral processes globally.
Musk, highlighting concerns over potential hacking risks by humans or AI, stated, โWe should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked, while small, is still too high.โ
We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high. https://t.co/PHzJsoXpLh
โ Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2024
Reacting to Muskโs comments, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the transparency of EVMs in India, branding them as a โblack boxโ that escapes public scrutiny. Gandhi underscored, โEVMs in India are a โblack box,โ and nobody is allowed to scrutinise them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process.โ
EVMs in India are a โblack box,โ and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them.
Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process.
Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability. https://t.co/nysn5S8DCF pic.twitter.com/7sdTWJXOAb
โ Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 16, 2024
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Gandhiโs remarks were bolstered by recent events in Mumbai North West, where allegations surfaced regarding the use of a mobile phone connected to an EVM during counting. Mangesh Pandilkar, a relative of the winning candidate Ravindra Waikar, allegedly used the phone to generate an OTP necessary to unlock the EVM at the NESCO Centre, as reported by Mid-Day.
โThis is a fraud at the highest level,โ stated Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, condemning the incident and calling for action from the Election Commission of India (ECI). Echoing this sentiment, Sena UBT leader Aditya Thackeray criticised the ECIโs reluctance to share CCTV footage of the counting center, questioning its transparency.
In response to Muskโs assertion, BJP leader and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar defended the integrity of Indian EVMs, highlighting their custom design and robust security features. Chandrasekhar rebutted Muskโs concerns, asserting, โIndian EVMs are custom-designed, secure, and isolated from any network or media โ No connectivity, no Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Internet.โ
This is a huge sweeping generalization statement that implies no one can build secure digital hardware. Wrong. @elonmusk โs view may apply to US n other places โ where they use regular compute platforms to build Internet connected Voting machines.
But Indian EVMs are customโฆ https://t.co/GiaCqU1n7O
โ Rajeev Chandrasekhar ๐ฎ๐ณ (@RajeevRC_X) June 16, 2024
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The debate has expanded beyond Muskโs tweet, drawing reactions from various political leaders. Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav reiterated the call for returning to paper ballots, arguing, โIf technology meant to solve problems becomes the cause of problems, its use should be reconsidered.โ
Yadav emphasised the need for transparent electoral practices amid global apprehensions over EVM security.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has consistently maintained that Indian EVMs are tamper-proof and secure. In response to concerns raised, the ECI assured the public that tampering with EVMs is โimpossible at any stage,โ reaffirming its commitment to fair and transparent elections.
