What happens if EVM results don’t match VVPAT slips? EC process sparks Opposition anger

Opposition parties are on the edge due to the EC’s prescribed procedure, but the BJP says that this is desperate conspiracy-mongering in the face of an inevitable defeat.
What happens if EVM results don’t match VVPAT slips? EC process sparks Opposition anger
What happens if EVM results don’t match VVPAT slips? EC process sparks Opposition anger
Written by:

If you voted during the recent Lok Sabha polls, you would have noticed a paper-slip pop up in a machine next to the EVM, with your choice mentioned on it, and drop back in soon after. That is the VVPAT slip. The Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) enables the verification of results displayed from the EVM during counting. Since you have seen and verified the slip during voting, in case the results from the EVM and VVPAT slips don’t match during counting, the Election Commission can be sure that the EVM results are faulty.

These VVPAT slips are now at the centre of political controversy, just a day ahead of the results for the Lok Sabha polls of 2019 are to be announced.

The EC is now required to verify the EVM results with VVPAT slips of not all, but only 5 randomly identified polling booths in a Parliamentary constituency, according to a Supreme Court order. EC has refused to count more despite requests from the parties. The opposition asks, when there is a mismatch between the results on the EVM and VVPAT slip in one or all of those 5 polling stations, shouldn’t more VVPAT slips from across the constituency be verified? Why is the EC not investigating the reason for the discrepancy, and if other polling stations could have seen similar mismatches?

In a memorandum submitted to the ECI on May 21 by 22 political parties, it was demanded that the VVPAT verification is done prior to the counting of votes, and not on completion of counting, so the results are not declared before the verification is done. This demand has also been rejected.

The demands of the opposition are not entirely unfounded. On April 11, the day of polling in Andhra Pradesh, many EVMs were reported to have malfunctioned. Reports on EVMs malfunction also surfaced from other states, but the malfunctions reported from Andhra were higher. The Telugu Desam Party claims that over 4,000 EVMs malfunctioned in the state. TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu now leads the campaign against the EC.

In Andhra, while in some EVMs the mock votes were not deleted prior to polling due to human error, in other cases the machines did not record votes. This led to delayed polling. In some cases, the polling continued till next day morning in Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra EC has not released the data on how many EVMs malfunctioned in the state on poll day. The Andhra Pradesh CEO was unresponsive to queries regarding the matter.

The TDP is hoping that their trained poll-counting representatives would catch instances of voting mismatch. “We have been giving the counting agents training on how to deal with the counting issue legally. We don't know what else to be done. The TDP president, N Chandrababu Naidu has himself told all the candidates to be present inside the counting booths and oversee the counting personally,” said N Vijay Kumar, TDP leader and party spokesperson. The party is also gearing up its legal cell to take instances of vote mismatch to the court.

But can a legal battle be the solution to a grave matter such as this, in a county notorious for its never-ending court cases?

The BJP is of the view that any changes to the VVPAT counting procedure have to go through reform procedures within the ECI or ordered by the court or parliament has to make a recommendation or an Act. "This should not be done by the opposition,“ said Krishnasagar Rao, BJP spokesperson from Telangana. "Opinions will not make laws or procedures," he added.

The BJP does not question the credibility of EVMs. Their reason?

"Under the NDA rule 16 states went to polls in the last five years and the BJP lost 6 states, the EVM credibility and the ECIs capability has been tested for 16 times. We have faith and not blamed the EVMs for the losses. Now, why is the opposition raising this? When you lose it's the EVMs and when you win it the peoples mandate?," added Rao who further added that the procedure of VVPAT counting itself was introduced after the then BJP president LK Advani made demands for checks and balances in VVPAT counting.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com