Virajpet constituency EVMs hacked: Congress candidate Arun Machaiah
Assembly Election
Madikeri, June 26: Alleging that the EVMs used in the constituency for Assembly election might have hacked, Congress defeated candidate from Virajpet CS Arun Machaiah that the votes polled in the constituency should be counted again along with the VVPAT.
Before submitting a memorandum to the Central Election Commissioner and State Election Officer through the district Returning Officer demanding recounting of votes here on Tuesday, he told media persons that he would obey the verdict of the people. But the election held through EVMs would not be a transparent one. He was ready to prove the EVMs hacking from technical experts, he said.
The Constituency has 269 polling stations and as per the survey conducted by him and his party workers after the election, he should have won the election by a margin of 9000 votes. But during the counting, his opponent candidate won the election with a huge margin of votes and it created suspicion of hacking. As there is a norm that any objections regarding election should be filed within 45 days, he collected the complete details for one month and complained to the Central Election Commission and State Election Chief Officer, he said.
The developed countries like USA, Italy, Netherland, Germany and others have proved that EVMs are not transparent. Though the EVMs were improvised in view of this opinion, the central government had accepted that the EVM2 used in the previous elections were not reliable. Moreover, the Central Government had assured the Supreme Court of using EVM 3 in next elections. But in Karnataka Assembly elections, the Election Commission had used EVM2 and this led to suspicion, he said.
Though Karnataka had more than 12.50 lakh EVM2, the central government had supplied EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat elections to Karnataka. After bringing them to Karnataka, the EVMs were kept in the National Institute of Engineering of Mysuru, which also raised concerns. He is suspected that a professor with the help of a team of engineers ‘manipulated’ the EVMs, he alleged.
Giving an example of luring someone to hack the EVM at a constituency in Mysuru, Arun Machaiah said that such persons might have hacked the EVMs in Kodagu and he has some information that such people were absconding. Now, the Cyber Crime officials have been investigating, he said.
Experts are of the opinion that microchips could be installed in EVM2 and the votes registered in such machines could be transferred to other person remotely. In view of this, the Election Commission should recount the votes recorded in the EVM and registered in the VVPAT. He would also move the High Court demanding action against the culprits for misusing the EVMs. Same complaints would be lodged from Mangaluru, Mysuru and other constituencies, he said.
District Congress spokesperson Tatu Monnappa, Virajpet Block president RK Salam, Napoklu Block president BS Ramanath and Ponnampet Block president Dharmaja Uthappa were present at the press conference.
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Maharashtra government considers tweaks to Ladki Bahin scheme amid fiscal strain: Reports
Mumbai: A day after the Mahayuti coalition secured a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, attention has turned to the Ladki Bahin Yojana, a flagship welfare scheme that played a pivotal role in attracting women voters.
The scheme, launched in July 2024, offers ₹1,500 per month to economically disadvantaged women aged 18 to 65. The Mahayuti, in its election manifesto, pledged to increase the amount to ₹2,100 per month, a promise now under scrutiny due to fiscal concerns. With the scheme projected to cost the exchequer ₹33,300 crore from July 2024 to March 2025, bureaucrats are exploring ways to revise its provisions to prevent a financial imbalance.
Finance Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar hinted at the challenges, stressing the need for "financial discipline." A senior bureaucrat confirmed that plans are underway to prune the list of beneficiaries, citing the inclusion of ineligible individuals due to incomplete Aadhaar seeding and lack of required ration cards. According to the finance department, nearly one crore women out of the 2.43 crore registered beneficiaries may not qualify for the scheme.
The state’s debt burden is already projected to reach ₹7.82 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2024-25. Officials warn that continuing the scheme in its current form could impact the government’s ability to pay salaries by January. Despite these concerns, the ruling coalition is hesitant to reduce the beneficiary list, likely due to the upcoming civic elections.
Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik is expected to present renegotiation proposals to the new chief minister soon. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde credited the scheme for increasing the number of women voters and boosting the coalition’s vote share. NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar also acknowledged the scheme’s role in mobilising women voters.
Other welfare measures introduced by the government include an electricity bill waiver for farmers and three free LPG cylinders annually for six million households. However, the financial viability of such initiatives remains a pressing concern.
