Pratim Ranjan Bose
EVM or electronic voting machine
is not new in India. It replaced ballot paper and everyone was happy or content
about it till a few years ago, when Narendra Modi started winning election
after election excepting a few blips or slips, as in Bihar in 2015.
I know some people will
immediately point at Karnataka, MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan but, that would
be foolish.
If we look closely, BJP actually
did way better than expected in both Karnataka and Rajasthan. They had a poor
chief ministerial choice in Karnataka when compared to young and energetic Chief Minister Siddharamaiah of Congress. There was no major anti-incumbency against the Siddharamaiah government either. Yet BJP emerged as the single largest party and
Congress had to form a government through the backdoor.
Similarly, Rajasthan has a
tradition of changing the government in five years and Vijay Raje Scindia
became unpopular. A washout was the most expected outcome of the election but
it didn’t happen so. Congress scraped through.
In MP and Chhattisgarh, BJP was in power for
too long. In terms of vote share, BJP is still the largest in MP. The concern
if any was the erosion of support base among the tribals in Chhattisgarh.
What is surprising is that the EVM controversy
peaked during these assembly elections. The opposition started demanding return
of paper ballots, which were ideal for rigging. But the claim evaporated after
the Opposition formed governments in Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan.
The controversy made
a come-back over the last few days, after the exit poll
estimates were out on May 19, with the opposition alleging mass hacking of EVMs. Video clips started circulating. A not-so-reputable
foreign news source (they are the innovators of “chequebook journalism”,
“embedded journalism”, as you know) put up a report. And, enlightened individuals best
described by the phrase “Luiten’s” started tweeting such clips.
But why?
An absurd allegation
I spoke to senior politicians in
the Opposition and very senior bureaucrats in at least two non-BJP states.
There appears to be little doubt about the absurdity of the claim. And for
reason.
As we all know EVM is a
standalone device that is not connected to the web. The machines with 14 voting
slots each, are procured from State-owned companies and kept in the custody of the State
authorities in the run-up of the election.
The names of the candidate are
inserted only after the completion of the nomination process. It means attempts
to tamper the machine before that is of no use. If that’s not enough, any mass tampering is impossible for the simple fact that the names of the
candidates appear in alphabetical order and that varies from constituency to
constituency.
After the candidate names are
put into the slot, the EVM is physically sealed by both EC and the candidates.
The seal is broken only at the booth, after due checking by the political
parties, and mock polling takes place at the booth to ensure that the EVM is perfectly
working and votes are going to the desired destination.
After the polling is over, the
EVMs are sealed again (in each step candidates use their own seal along with
the seal of the election officials) and in the presence of nominated
representatives the respective parties. From here till the journey to the
strong-room, the EVM remains under the constant watch of parties in the fray.
The Strong-room not only remains under lock and key. But even the keyhole of the lock is sealed by all. While
the strong-room is guarded by central forces, each candidate is entitled to
nominate one person to guard the strong-room till the day of the counting, when
again the seal is broken in the presence and consensus of all parties involved.
The procedure is so set, that
election officials have no discretionary power and the politics become a party
to the safety of the EVM. No election official can enter the strong-room
without the knowledge of the parties, leave alone taking them away and
replacing them, as is suggested by Some Opposition parties and actively
propagated by a section of media.
What I am saying is no
classified information. Ask your friendly bureaucrat, who conducted an
election, or any sensible political leader, in private, and he will tell you
charges leveled are absurd. The reserve EVMs (which are kept in stock for
possible use during an emergency) are transferred in open trucks etc, not the
ones holding the clue to the next government. That’s exactly why there was
never any controversy about EVMs.
So why are they making noise now?
Some say Modi made EC a puppet. Assuming he did, we need proof. In BJP ruled
Tripura (two seats) EC postponed the election in one constituency, and ordered
re-poll in nearly 15% booths in the other – in the face of allegations of
rigging by the BJP. It was big news, but barely covered in the national media.
However, there were reports of seizure of cash from BJP workers. If EC was lax
on BJP, how did you get those reports?
At the same time, there is ample
proof of Opposition-ruled States, like West Bengal, not only trying to browbeat
EC but leaving no stone unturned to prevent the set democratic norms. There are
dozens of examples of district administrations of West Bengal denying
permission to the Prime Minister and his senior colleagues from BJP to hold rallies
or land helicopter. Was it a democratic approach? Why the now-removed home
secretary of West Bengal wanted to stop the use of central forces in the
election?
Allegations against EC’s
integrity and independence are not new. In 2006, when EC ordered a six-phase
Assembly election in West Bengal, the then Left Front government saw a
conspiracy. In the end, Left won that election by a historic margin.
Ploy to invite global pressure?
But why the Opposition led by
Congress is making such absurd allegations? Is it a simple case of finding a
scapegoat for their anticipated failure? I see a bigger plot behind.
It is well known that this
election is a make or break for either side. The rise of Modi is a unique in
Indian political history. What the entire Opposition did to Indira Gandhi in
1977; Modi did it alone. He was never a preferred choice of BJP as the prime
ministerial candidate. He made himself indispensable to BJP. And, having taken
the country by storm, he challenged the prevailing political narrative. This was
as good as questioning the viability of the existing political class.
Naturally, Modi is a common enemy of many.
And, as they didn’t leave any
stone unturned to challenge Modi’s supremacy; Modi too picked-up his targets.
It’s a ruthless power game and, this election will decide who is going to face
the music. Those standing on a weak wicket might, therefore, be looking forward
to involving a third party – global pressure on Modi at the pretext of what
they call “rigged election”.
Who is going to have the last
laugh, will be clear in the next 48 hours. But, the only casualty in this war
is national pride.
Over the last 25 years; we really created a fine institution
in the Election Commission, despite sufficient efforts to curb its power. Do
you remember which government converted EC into a three-member panel, so as to curb
the powers of the maverick Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan?
***
Tweet: @pratimbose
No comments:
Post a Comment