Cong leaders question reliability of EVMs; EC asserts they are 'tamper-proof'
New Delhi: After the Congress failed to put up a good show in Bihar elections and bypolls elsewhere, party leaders on Tuesday again questioned the reliability of EVMs, even as the Election Commission asserted that the machines are "absolutely robust and tamper-proof".
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh and Dalit leader Udit Raj claimed that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) can be hacked and tampered with, though their party colleague Karti Chidambaram said the EVM system is accurate and dependable, and "it's time to stop blaming the EVM".
"What is the reason that no developed country is using EVMs... if a chip is there, then it is not tamper-proof," Singh said, alleging "selective" rigging.
On Congress' victory in assembly elections in Rajasthan and other states, he said the party did not win as many seats as it had expected.
The Congress leader, who was speaking after his party fared badly in the assembly bypolls in Madhya Pradesh, cited the recent US presidential elections.
Udit Raj, who is the Congress party's national spokesperson and a former BJP MP from Delhi, also asked if Donald Trump could have lost in the US elections had EVMs been used.
"If the direction of satellites to Mars and Moon can be controlled from the earth, then why can't EVM be hacked," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
"If elections were held in America with EVMs, could Trump have lost," he asked.
In another tweet, he took a swipe at the BJP, saying it has been able to sideline Nitish Kumar with its performance in Bihar.
Karti Chidambaram, the son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, however, said, "EVM system is robust, accurate & dependable. This has always been my view. I stand by it."
"There have been doubters of the EVM from across political parties, particularly when the results don't go in their favour. Till now no has demonstrated scientifically their claims," he said on Twitter.
The Congress MP from Sivaganga said, "Whatever be the outcome of any election, it's time to stop blaming the EVM. In my experience, the EVM system is robust, accurate, and dependable."
"In the elections, we won (1984, 89, 91, 96, 98, 2004, 2009, 2019) we got more than any of the other candidates, and when we lost (1999, 2014) someone else got more votes than us. This is what happened in Sivaganga," he said.
Deputy Election Commissioner in-charge of EVMs Sudip Jain, when asked about the charges, told reporters that the machines are absolutely robust and tamper-proof.
"It has been clarified time and again that EVMs are absolutely robust and tamper-proof. Even the Supreme Court has upheld their integrity more than once," he said.
Jain recalled that in 2017, the Commission had offered an "EVM challenge" to political parties.
"The integrity of EVMs is absolutely without any doubts and merits no other clarification," he said.
The NDA was maintaining its lead on Tuesday evening during the counting of votes for the 243 seats in Bihar.
The BJP was set to outperform its senior alliance partner JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, as per the trends.
Several exit polls had predicted a victory of the Mahagathbandhan of the RJD, Congress, and the Left parties.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
