Poll panel to convene all-party meeting

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission will soon be convening an all-party meeting to allay misgivings of several political parties on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) being tamper-proof.

The assurance to this effect was given to a BJP delegation led by party general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad that met the full Election Commission here on Friday.

The EC has assured the BJP that additional steps to make use of the EVMs secure would be in  place before the Bihar Assembly elections later this year. Besides the BJP, other political parties like the Left, the AIADMK, the TDP and the RJD had also demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the vulnerability of the EVMs during the debate in the Upper House last week. BJP general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad, who led the party delegation to the Election Commission, said, “The EC has agreed to call a meeting of all political parties to discuss and explain the present system of the EVMs.”

The EC informed the BJP delegation that it would also like to discuss the issue of increased use of money power and paid news in the election by certain political parties and others. Prasad said the use of EVMs had started in India 15 years ago.

As such there is an insistent need to evaluate and bring about improvements in the present EVM system.

All political parties must be taken into confidence in this regard, he said.

The vulnerability of the EVMs has been discussed at the national and international levels over the past years. The recent investigation and evidence unearthed by an activist has proved the loopholes, scope for manipulation and potential to corrupt the security system of EVMs.