It’s the EVM and the Election Commission, stupid
In
a case coming up later this month in Bombay High Court, an RTI activist
hopes the Election Commission will come up with some answers on the EVM
On
the ground, across social media, in the urban drawing rooms which were
once all over Narendra Modi and in the farms and fields in the rural
hinterland, the mood seems to have swung in large measure against the
BJP.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) internal assessment
is said to be giving them only between 140-160 seats this time round in
the Lok Sabha. Yet, despite the obvious layer of growing nervousness on
the surface, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah seem gung-ho about sweeping the
2019 elections to the Lok Sabha in May, 2019.

So, what makes them so confident?

After
a series of conversations with people, both on and off the record, the
answer one receives is a simple one in three words – Electronic Voting
Machines, or EVMs.

And the rogue elephant in the room is not just
the BJP dispensation at Centre but the Election Commission of India
which has not only consistently refused to accept that EVMs could be
hacked, but has adopted other means to obfuscate the issue.

According
to Manoranjan Roy, a Right To Information activist who has filed a
petition in the Bombay High Court – coming up for hearing on October 31,
though the Election Commission has not even filed a vakalatnama as yet -
the obfuscation and scam is to be found mostly in the work order and
the transfer of EVMs.

By and large, a single Lok Sabha
constituency needs only 2000 EVMs. So, every election, eleven lakh EVM
machines should suffice for 545 constituencies. Leaving room for
malfunctions, etc, you could perhaps add another one lakh machines.

However,
the EC’s purchase order for machines for the 2019 election is for over
17 lakh machines. Why do they need the extra five lakh machines, wonders
Roy. He hopes the court will insist on a convincing answer from the
intransigent EC.

Challans & transportation

Then again,
he says, “The bigger scam is in the transfer of these EVM machines.
Each challan should be for 500 machines but often only 250 will be
provided, no fresh challan will be issued for the balance number. There
will then be no record of which machines were provided where.”

According
to Roy, during transportation they also mix up the machines and do not
keep a strict vigil on the model numbers and individual identification
numbers of the machine. This works against tallying data on a later date
in case of doubts and queries. “It is a big scam and one
dialogue/article is not enough to record the scam. This will require a
book, “says Roy.

Which is precisely what was written by BJP’s GVL
Narasimha Rao and presented to the then President of India when the
UPA, which introduced the EVM machines to India in a big way, won the
2009 elections against all expectations. BJP suspected that the machines
were manipulated. At that time, it was unlikely because the smart phone
technology which is now used majorly everywhere in the world had not
yet come into being then.

The case for paper ballots

Even
so, with the first-generation basic iphone, two young students at the
Massachussets Institute of Technology had succeeded in hacking some EVM
machines. So, in the hands of professional hackers today, the
possibilities are endless,” says Charu Satam, a senior media strategist
in Mumbai, who has studied the issue of EVMs closely. All of the
Election Commission’s arguments in favour of EVM machines are misplaced,
based on wrong premises, he says.

The EVMs were introduced to
India in an era when we were low on technology but booth capturing was
rampant. The basic premise for introducing EVMs was transparency but now
the EVM malfunctions are defeating that transparency. In recent
elections and by-elections across India, many officials said the fourth
generation EVMs malfunctioned because of excessive heat and they had to
keep the machines under table fans, covered with sheets or -don’t miss
this - sarees, all curtains drawn in the room (what happened to
air-conditioners?) all the time to prevent the heat from getting into
the machines and voting going haywire!

If that was not a
definitive argument for getting rid of these machines, Satam does not
know what is. Moreover, all these machines have VVPATs. So, the EC
argument that electronic voting is environment friendly is “simply
rubbish” he says.

“If paper can be used for VVPATs, it can be
used for to ink ballots at a little or no extra cost to the environment
and the exchequer,” he says.

“Moreover, has the EC considered how
much it costs to dispose of electronic waste? The cost of paper ballots
to the environment will be far less than that generated by EVMs,” he
says, adding VVPATs are less secure than ballot papers in the sense
every vote by an individual can be traced back to him or her by a
vengeful candidate while the ballot paper is more anonymous.

Gujarat & Uttar Pradesh

Noted
human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi was among the earliest to sound
the alarm bells on EVMs during the Gujarat Assembly elections in 2012.
While most political analysts and even ordinary voters in Gujarat had
believed Modi was on his way out at that election, he made a surprising
comeback at the last minute.

“It could not have happened without
the manipulation of EVMs,” says Hashmi. When she and her fellow
activists got to closely examine the results, they discovered that whole
chunks of Congress-voting areas had voted for the BJP, even though they
professed that they had pressed the button for the panja - or the hand
symbol of the Congress.

The fact that buttons pressed for other
symbols frequently flashed for the lotus, the BJP symbol, came to light
almost a year later at elections to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly in
November 2013. Since then, there have been frequent malfunctions and the
best example is that of Assembly elections to Uttar Pradesh in March
2017. Once again there were few expectations of a BJP victory, leave
alone a sweep, or if there were, not on the scale the party won that
election against all odds.

Since then, there have been loud
whispers - any party needed to manipulate only ten percent of the
machines in just five percent of the booths to ensure any partucular
candidate’s victory.

A few months later when ballot papers were
used at local self government elections in UP, the BJP lost hugely in
most seats where ballot papers were used. It won again where EVMs were
used but there was no probe into the fact that in three towns far
removed from each other by miles the BJP candidate won by the exact
number of votes to the last digit. This could have been possible only
through an algorithm and not physical voting.

Audit 25% of VVPATs

Says
Hashmi, ‘Their hacking has got sophisticated over the years. Look at
the Gujarat 2017 elections. It is impossible to believe that more than
five lakh people would get up so early in the morning to go and press
the NOTA button. Yet, there were a disproportionate number of voters for
NOTA. So the manipulation is done at the programming stage these days –
every vote for the BJP means three of other parties will be transferred
to NOTA. The party need not worry about manipulating the booths at all.

Programming.
That is the key to manipulation, says another activist who wished to
remain anonymous. He points to the fact that the chips for the EVMs are
manufactured by a company set up in the United States by two NRIs who
are very close to both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

Those chips
are then transported to an Indian company whose promoter was appointed
to the Board of the Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Limited, which is
a major supplier of EVMs to the country. Programming of the chips then
is quite an easy task when the possibility of hacking en route is also
enhanced by the fact that many of these EVMs are transported through
post or by hand couriers.

“So, it is advisable for all candidates
to keep a close watch on VVPATs,” says Nawab Malik, spokesperson of the
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has been most active in taking
up the issue with various authorities.

But Malik rues the fact
that the EC refuses to even follow the orders of the Supreme Court in
this regard which has ruled that the paper trail must be counted if any
candidate has a single doubt.

“What is the point of counting just
two per cent or ten per cent of the VVPATs when a losing candidate
demands it? Count 100 per cent and clear his doubts,” he says.

But
the ECI is adamant on its own stand. Giving much confidence to the
Modi-Shah duo that they will win the 2019 elections despite scams,
corruption, non-performance, a tanking economy, weakening Rupee and
soaring petrol prices - and despite the disappointment of a majority of
the people with their government.

For all the latest India News, Follow India Section.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mayawati-doubts-credibility-of-evms-asks-why-bjp-fears-paper-ballots/articleshow/62508707.cms
Mayawati
doubts credibility of EVMs, asks why BJP fears paper ballotsLUCKNOW:
Questioning the credibility of electronic voting machines, BSP chief
Mayawati today asked why the BJP was afraid of holding elections through
paper ballots.

She said the chief election commissioner must think about it in wake of doubts being raised from several quarters.

“If
BJP leaders consider themselves honest, why are they afraid of
conducting future elections through ballot papers,” she told a press
conference on her 62nd birthday, alleging that the BJP came to power in
Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand because of alleged faults in the
functioning of the EVMs.

The debate over the authenticity of
EVMs has been on for nearly an year now. Other political parties,
including the Congress, too, previously raised the possibility of
tampering with EVMs.”The BSP was the first party in the country to raise
the issue of EVM anomalies soon after the results of the UP Assembly
elections were out, and approached the Supreme Court.
The BJP (
Brashtachar Jiyadha Psychopaths) remotely controlled by joust 0.1%
intolerant, violent, militant, number one terrorists of the world, ever
shooting, mob lynching, rapists foreigners from Bene Israel chitpavan
brahmins of RSS (Rowdy Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks) gobbled the Master Key
led by Murderer of democratic institutions & Master of diluting
institutions (Modi) by tampering the fraud EVMs also won the Uttar
Pradesh Assembly polls - held in February-March last year - after a gap
of 15 years during which regional parties like the SP and the BSP had
held sway. That is because Ms Mayawati became eligible to be the next PM
because of her excellent rule of UP as CM as she distributed the wealth
of the state equally among the 99.9% Sarvajan Samaj for Sarvajan Hitaya
Sarvajan Sukhaya. This was not tolerated by the manuvadis as she was
from a Scheduled Caste community and because of the hatred, anger,
jealousy and delusion which are defilement of the mind of the RSS and
the BJP. Mayawati said: “‘Har-Har Modi, Ghar-Ghar Modi’ had a narrow
escape of being thrown out from Gujarat this time. Had the voteshare of
SC/STs in Gujarat been 18 to 20 per cent, he would not had been able to
escape.”

The slogan she referred to was a campaign highlight of the BJP during the general elections in 2014.

Levelling
allegation at the Centre, she said: “Modi diluted the Constitution and
laws. A chamcha and stooge  is talking about changing hanging the
Constitution, but no action has been taken against him.”

The BSP chief alleged that the Congress and the BJP have damaged every section of the society after Independence.

“Today
there is an atmosphere of communalism and casteism in every state.
Capitalistic-minded political parties do not like our party. The BJP is
trying to finish our party. Both, the Congress and the BJP are chor-chor
mausere bhaai (hand in glove with each other).These parties do not want
to see Ambedkar-inspired party (the BSP) to move ahead. First, it was
the Congress and company, which tried to finish us, and now it is the
BJP and company which is trying to do so,” she said.

Mayawati said as she was not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha, she resigned.

“In
the same manner, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was also harassed, and
subsequently he resigned from the post of the Union law minister,” she
said.
The BSP chief said: “I want to know from the Congress why
Babasaheb was not honoured with Bharat Ratna. Why the recommendations of
Mandal Commission were not implemented. The BJP government is virtually
deactivating the reservation system, thereby rendering people jobless.”

She said people who had to face trouble due to demonetisation would be given help by her party.
Modi
has diluted not only our Marvellous Modern Constitution but also the
Supreme Court. The ex CJI Sathasivam deliberately committed a grave
error of judgement by ordering that the EVMs should be replaced in a
phased manner where the question of replacement of the EVMs in itself is
a clear proof that they could be tampered. This was on the suggestion
of the ex CEC Sampath as its cost Rs 1600 crore to replace the entire
EVMs. Hence the EC is also diluted. other pillars the Executive,
Parliament and the media is also diluted. At least the present CJI must
come forward to order for the dissolution of the central government and
go for fresh polls with Ballot Papers. The Sarvajan Samaj must unitedly
see to it that Ballot Papers must be used replacing the entire
EVMs/VVPAT to save Universal Adult Franchise, Democracy, Equality,
Fraternity, Liberty and Freedom guaranteed in our Constitution.

மின்னணு
வாக்குப் பெட்டிகள் மீது நம்பிக்கை இல்லை.. வாக்குச் சீட்டுகளே நல்லது. 
சென்னை: மின்னணு வாக்குப் பெட்டிகள் மீது மக்கள் நம்பிக்கை இழந்து
விட்டார்கள். இனி வரும் தேர்தல்களில் வாக்குச் சீட்டுகளையே பயன்படுத்த
வேண்டும்.  இந்தியாவில் மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு எந்திரங்கள் மீது மக்கள்
நம்பிக்கை இழந்து விட்டதாகவும், இனிவரும் தேர்தல்களில் வாக்குச்
சீட்டுகளைப் பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும் என்றும் தேர்தல் ஆணையத்திடம் 16 அரசியல்
கட்சிகள் கோரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளன. இக்கோரிக்கை பற்றி விவாதிக்க அனைத்துக்
கட்சி கூட்டம் கூட்டப்படும் என தேர்தல் ஆணையம் அறிவித்துள்ளது. இது
வரவேற்கத்தக்க மாற்றமாகும்.
மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு எந்திரங்கள் எந்த
காலத்திலும் நம்பிக்கைக்குரியவையாக இருந்ததில்லை.  உலகில்
தொழில்நுட்பத்தில் முன்னேறிய நாடுகளில்கூட மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு
எந்திரங்கள் பயன்படுத்தப்படுவதில்லை. உலகில் தேர்தல் மூலம் மக்கள்
பிரதிநிதிகளை தேர்ந்தெடுக்கும் வழக்கமுள்ள 118 நாடுகளில் இந்தியா,
பிரேசில், வெனிசுலா ஆகிய 3 நாடுகளில் மட்டுமே மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு
எந்திரங்கள் முழுமையாக பயன்படுத்தப்படுகின்றன. நெதர்லாந்து, ஜெர்மனி,
பராகுவே ஆகிய நாடுகள் மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு எந்திர முறையை கைவிட்டு,
மீண்டும் வாக்குச்சீட்டு முறைக்கே மாறியிருக்கின்றன. மேலும் 9 நாடுகளும்
வாக்குப்பதிவு எந்திரங்களை கைவிட தீர்மானித்துள்ளன. இத்தகைய சூழலில்
இந்தியா மட்டும் மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு எந்திரங்களை விடாமல் தொடர்ந்து
பயன்படுத்திக் கொண்டிருக்க அவை ஒன்றும் அவ்வளவு புனிதமானவை அல்ல.
மக்கள்
பிரதிநிதிகளை தேர்ந்தெடுப்பது என்பது மிகவும் புனிதமான செயலாகும். அதற்கான
நடைமுறை எள்ளின் முனையளவுக்குக் கூட ஐயமற்றதாக இருக்க வேண்டும். ஆனால்,
மின்னணு வாக்குப்பதிவு எந்திரங்கள் மீது மக்கள் நம்பிக்கையிழந்து விட்ட
நிலையில், அவற்றுக்கு விடை கொடுத்து விட்டு, இனிவரும் தேர்தல்களில்
வாக்குச்சீட்டுகளைப் பயன்படுத்த தேர்தல் ஆணையம் முன்வர வேண்டும்.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/cyber-expert-alleges-indias-2014-general-elections-rigged/articleshow/67631023.cms  
Cyber expert alleges India’s 2014 general elections ‘rigged’
By
Anshuman Kumar    NEW DELHI: A man who named himself as Syed Shuja, an
Indian national purportedly given political asylum in the United States,
on Monday claimed he was part of a team that designed a program which,
he alleged, helped BJP to ‘hack electronic voting machines’ in the 2014
Lok Sabha elections. Shuja alleged that his ‘team members’ were killed
later, but he escaped and obtained political asylum in the US. An
American government official when contacted said information on asylum
“is typically private”  ..The invitation to the news conference,
organised by the Indian Journalist Association, Europe, had said that
Shuja would ‘hack an EVM live’. However, Shuja said “the guy who was
supposed to bring EVMs from India was offered a huge amount of money and
backed off; he also shared my location.” Shuja claimed he was attacked
on Saturday by an Afro-American. “He was supposed to arrive in London on
Sunday but because of the attack he couldn’t do so,” claimed IJA London
president Ashish Ray. “That’s why he is doing a conference through
Skype.” Though the organisers had invited representatives of all
political parties, only Congress leader Kapil Sibal attended it.
FIR
must be filed on ex CJI Sathasivam, Ex CEC Sampath and the Master of
diluting institutions & Murderers of democratic institutions (Modi)
for the following reason :
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/…/article…/62508707.cms
Mayawati
doubts credibility of EVMs, asks why BJP fears paper ballotsLUCKNOW:
Questioning the credibility of electronic voting machines, BSP chief
Mayawati today asked why the BJP was afraid of holding elections through
paper ballots.

She said the chief election commissioner must think about it in wake of doubts being raised from several quarters.

“If
BJP leaders consider themselves honest, why are they afraid of
conducting future elections through ballot papers,” she told a press
conference on her 62nd birthday, alleging that the BJP came to power in
Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand because of alleged faults in the
functioning of the EVMs.

The debate over the authenticity of EVMs
has been on for nearly an year now. Other political parties, including
the Congress, too, previously raised the possibility of tampering with
EVMs.”The BSP was the first party in the country to raise the issue of
EVM anomalies soon after the results of the UP Assembly elections were
out, and approached the Supreme Court.
The BJP ( Brashtachar Jiyadha
Psychopaths) remotely controlled by joust 0.1% intolerant, violent,
militant, number one terrorists of the world, ever shooting, mob
lynching, rapists foreigners from Bene Israel chitpavan brahmins of RSS
(Rowdy Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks) gobbled the Master Key led by Murderer of
democratic institutions & Master of diluting institutions (Modi) by
tampering the fraud EVMs also won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls -
held in February-March last year - after a gap of 15 years during which
regional parties like the SP and the BSP had held sway. That is because
Ms Mayawati became eligible to be the next PM because of her excellent
rule of UP as CM as she distributed the wealth of the state equally
among the 99.9% Sarvajan Samaj for Sarvajan Hitaya Sarvajan Sukhaya.
This was not tolerated by the manuvadis as she was from a Scheduled
Caste community and because of the hatred, anger, jealousy and delusion
which are defilement of the mind of the RSS and the BJP. Mayawati said:
“‘Har-Har Modi, Ghar-Ghar Modi’ had a narrow escape of being thrown out
from Gujarat this time. Had the voteshare of SC/STs in Gujarat been 18
to 20 per cent, he would not had been able to escape.”

The slogan she referred to was a campaign highlight of the BJP during the general elections in 2014.

Levelling
allegation at the Centre, she said: “Modi diluted the Constitution and
laws. A chamcha and stooge is talking about changing hanging the
Constitution, but no action has been taken against him.”

The BSP chief alleged that the Congress and the BJP have damaged every section of the society after Independence.

“Today
there is an atmosphere of communalism and casteism in every state.
Capitalistic-minded political parties do not like our party. The BJP is
trying to finish our party. Both, the Congress and the BJP are chor-chor
mausere bhaai (hand in glove with each other).These parties do not want
to see Ambedkar-inspired party (the BSP) to move ahead. First, it was
the Congress and company, which tried to finish us, and now it is the
BJP and company which is trying to do so,” she said.

Mayawati said as she was not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha, she resigned.

“In
the same manner, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was also harassed, and
subsequently he resigned from the post of the Union law minister,” she
said.
The BSP chief said: “I want to know from the Congress why
Babasaheb was not honoured with Bharat Ratna. Why the recommendations of
Mandal Commission were not implemented. The BJP government is virtually
deactivating the reservation system, thereby rendering people jobless.”