EC to highlight use of EVMs in conference in Delhi despite Oppn's concerns

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will highlight its use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in conducting polls in the country during an international conference it will host on Monday and Tuesday as part of the programmes being held around the world as a follow-up to the Summit for Democracy hosted by US President Joe Biden in December 2021.

Notwithstanding continued clamour by opposition parties demanding the EC to address questions over the credibility of EVMs, the poll panel will highlight the use of the machine in conducting polls in India during the international conference on “Use of Technology and Elections Integrity”, which will see the 43 representatives of election management bodies of 17 nations assembling to New Delhi.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar will inaugurate the two-day conference. The concluding session will be chaired by Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey and EC Arun Goel will chair the first technical session.

The poll officials of Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Chile, Croatia, Dominica, Fiji, Georgia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Mauritius, Nepal, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines and Suriname are expected to participate in the conference. Six representatives of the International Federation for Electoral Systems, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance are expected to join. Representatives from a number of foreign missions in New Delhi are expected to attend.

The EC introduced the EVMs in 1982 on an experimental basis at 50 polling stations under 70 Parur assembly constituencies in Kerala. They were also used in 10 bypolls across the country during 1982-83. Enabling amendment to the law for use of EVMs was passed by the Parliament in 1988 to insert Section 61A in the Representation of the People Act 1951. In March 1992, the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 were also amended by the government to facilitate the use of EVMs in elections.

In 2001, the state assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal were completely conducted using the EVMs. All state assembly elections thereafter witnessed the use of EVMs in all constituencies. In 2004 Lok Sabha polls, EVMs were used in all 543 parliamentary constituencies. Some political parties continue to raise questions over their credibility.

When the EC recently proposed to introduce a new Remote Voting Machine (RVM) to facilitate migrant voters to cast votes without taking the trouble of travelling to respective constituencies, the Congress and other opposition parties asked the poll panel to first address concerns over EVMs.