Election Commission Of India ‘Has Full Faith In Use Of EVMs’, Poll Body Responds To Letter Written By Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: Jairam Ramesh, the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress (INC) had recently written a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking appointment with three-four INDIA

New Delhi: Jairam Ramesh, the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress (INC) had recently written a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking appointment with three-four INDIA Bloc leaders with respect to the issue of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). The appointment was being requested for, so that the INDIA Bloc leaders could explain to the poll body, their idea or perspective on the use of VVPATs. Now, the Election Commission of India has responded to that letter and has refuted all the allegations of the Congress; the poll body has said that it has ‘full faith in the use of EVMs’. The ECI stands firm asserting that literature in the public domain on EVM answers all aspects of its use, comprehensively.

ECI Responds To Letter By Jairam Ramesh On VVPATs Issue

As mentioned earlier, the Election Commission has responded to the letter it received from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who was seeking an appointment for INDIA Bloc leaders with the Commission in regards to the VVPATs issue and use of EVMs. The ECI has responded by saying that it has full faith in the use of EVMs; the ECI stands firm asserting that literature in the public domain on EVM including the latest updated FAQs (85 Questions) answers all reasonable and legitimate aspects of the use of EVMs adequately and comprehensively. “Rule 49A and 49M of Conduct of Election Rules 1961 governing VVPAT and handling of paper slips were introduced by INC on August 14, 2013,” ECI said.

“While responding to an earlier letter dated 09.08.2023, ECI earlier also on 23.08.2023 comprehensively addressed all queries and detailed material including updated FAQs, EVM Manual, Powerpoint presentation on EVM, Status paper on EVM, legal backing of the EVM ecosystem and the judicial validation through various judgments of Supreme Court and various High Courts over a credible 40 years journey of EVMs,” it said.

The Commission further said that the recent letter dated December 30, 2023, does not raise any un-responded issue on EVM/VVPAT. “Memorandum dated August 9, 2023, has already been duly replied on August 23, 2023. Further, para wise reply to issues raised due to incorrect and inadequate appreciation of material available in the public domain in a follow-up letter dated 2nd October 2023 by Omar Hooda, in an individual capacity, is further replied by Annexure I to this letter covering all aspects of EVMs like non-tampering, non-hacking, microcontrollers, end-to-end verifiability, legal provisions, counting, technical competency, manufacturing, source code etc, ECI responded to Congress leader.

ECI Has ‘Full Faith In Use Of EVMs’

The Election body further stated that current EVMs in use in Indian elections are compliant with the extant legal framework created and strengthened by the successive Union Governments of the day and jurisprudence evolved over 40 years by the Constitutional Courts of India. “Anything beyond existing legal framework and established jurisprudence is beyond the singular domain of the Commission,” it added.

The Commission further said that based on the outcomes of the elections conducted using EVMs, legal framework, established jurisprudence, technical security and administrative safeguards, the Commission has full faith in the use of EVMs in elections. “It is beyond any explanation that out-of-context references are being made to other Countries and their Constitutional Courts about the use of EVMs in elections. Based on the outcomes of the elections conducted using EVMs (Annexure-II), legal framework, established jurisprudence, technical security and administrative safeguards, the Commission has full faith in the use of EVMs in elections,” it stated.

Contents Of Jairam Ramesh’s Letter To ECI

Speaking of the letter written by Jairam Ramesh to the ECI, it read “…make a request for an opportunity for a 3-4 member team of INDIA party leaders to meet with you and your colleagues and talk a few minutes to put forward our point of view on VVPATs. Surely, this is a perfectly reasonable and legitimate request.”

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote a letter to the Election Commission of India on 30th December seeking an appointment to meet the delegation of India Bloc leaders to discuss the issue of VVPAT.

The letter reads “…make a request for an opportunity for a 3-4 member… pic.twitter.com/qOMi6eedHF

— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2024

A timeline from August 9, 2023 to December 20, 2023, explaining the details of what all happened with respect to the EVM-related concerns of INDIA Parties has been mentioned in the letter and in the end, the Congress veteran has requested for a meeting to be scheduled between the election commission and three-four INDIA Bloc leaders to discuss the issue.

(Inputs from ANI)