No, it is not a simple ‘unusual & worrying’ case. The allegation levelled by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, that the BJP has hatched a plan to switch EVMs being used in the Lok Sabha polls with the 1.9 million machines went missing in 2019, certainly cannot be outright rejected as a simple case of speculation. Mamata, of course, did not directly name CEC as the BJP’s cohort; but her allegation nevertheless made it abundantly clear that this has been done by the EC at the behest of BJP, especially Narendra Modi.
Undeniably, a jump in the final voter turnout by nearly 5.75 per cent from what the Election Commission had released right after the voting is worrying. It is also an open secret that manipulations could not have been done without the connivance of Rajeev Kumar’s Election Commission. EVMs are stored in the strong rooms under tight security. Obviously no one can breach the security, unless it has blessings of EC.
Mamata Banerjee, who has written a letter to CEC Rajeev Kumar expressing her apprehensions, was candid in her observation that the sudden increase in poll percentage is not just “disturbing”, but also raises “serious apprehensions about the credibility of EVMs”. Expressing doubt she wrote: “The details of EVM makers should be made public by the Election Commission as the BJP can stoop to any level to win elections.”
Rajeev Kumar owes an explanation to the people of the country as to why the EC betrayed the trust of the Supreme Court. His releasing the corrected voter turnout figure makes it explicit that the EVM has been tampered with. Else, how could the earlier figures be changed or amended? Unless the figures are changed, how could EC come out with the so-called correct figure? Being CEC does not empower Rajeev Kumar to oblige his political masters.
Doubt expressed by Mamata Banerjee in her letter are serious. Mamata said, “Figures that EC released yesterday show 5.75% more turnout in areas where BJP gets fewer votes. We want to know how this number went up, who makes EVM machines and who manufactures the chips used in these machines. There is a wide suspicion that false data were entered into the missing EVMs and those machines were kept in place of the EVMs being used now.”
It is a shame that Rajeev Kumar, hiding behind the façade of the trust bestowed upon the EC and especially on EVM by Supreme Court, allowed this nature of manipulation. Earlier, the Election Commission used to release the final data of voting percentage immediately after the polling, or within 24 hours. It is for the first time that it took ten days to release the same. It certainly does not underline the efficiency of the EC; instead it points to a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched out by BJP and EC. Perceptibly, Rajeev Kumar cannot abdicate his responsibility.
This proclamation of EC is virtually a certificate from EC to Modi that he has won the election. The announcement is also a precursor to the voting pattern in the next five phases. If the corrected figures that were released on April 30 by EC are any indicator, it can safely be construed that in most of the 190 seats that went to polls on April 19 and 26, BJP has won. Modification was done with this in view.
What a coincidence that the announcement came just a day after top RSS leaders made their intentions known that they will not support Modi for the office of prime minister for the third consecutive term. Through manipulation of EVMs, Modi, however, sent a deafening message to the RSS leaders that he can accomplish his mission even without them, and that the RSS is not indispensable for him. There is little doubt that Modi has swung into action to ensure victory, irrespective of whether RSS helps him win or not. A desperate Modi is determined to show to his adversaries and friends that he can achieve his success without any one’s help.
The EC has come out with the clarification that while the first phase recorded a turnout of 66.14%, the second phase recorded a figure of 66.71%. Both these numbers are higher by 5.5 percent than the original figure. This raises the apprehension that Rajeev Kumar-led EC has subverted the EVM and fed them with incorrect figure. Based on the EVM figures, the EC had given the voting percentage figures on the completion of the 1st and 2nd phase of election. However, the panel did not release the total number of voters in each constituency.
After ten days, it came out with different set of percentage. Shockingly, this time too, the EC has based its report on the information supplied by the EVM. Does not it raise suspicion that EVM has been hacked? Does not it also raise the crucial question as to why the Supreme Court chose to uncritically believe the clarification provided by the EC, even though the petitioners presented a volley of possible mechanisms with which the EVMs can be tampered?
The opposition has questioned the Election Commission over the delay in announcing the final voter turnout figures. This is unprecedented in the electoral history of India. Apprehensions were repeatedly expressed in these columns about Modi resorting to some dubious mechanism to ensure his victory. He seems on his way to accomplish his mission of “abki bar 400 ke par”. With this nature of suspected machinery manipulation, no power on earth can stop his ‘victory’.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury observed that the figures are “substantially, not marginally as is normal, higher than the initial figures”. “… But why are the absolute numbers of voters in each Parliamentary constituency not put out? Percentages are meaningless unless this figure is known.”
Psephologist and political activist Yogendra Yadav said it is “unusual and worrying” that there was a delay of 11 days in releasing the voter turnout data. “I have watched and studied Indian elections for 35 years now,” Yadav said on X/Twitter. “While a difference of 3% to 5% points between initial [evening on polling days] and final turnout figures was not abnormal, we used to get the final data within 24 hours,” he added.
The information about votes polled is recorded by the poll panel in Form 17 for each polling booth and is available with the candidates’ agents. How the EC could change the numbers provided through the Form 17? Some opposition leaders intend to move the Supreme Court, but are scared of the attitude of the court. They are not sure of the attitude of the court.
Suspicions were raised over non-disclosure of actual number of votes polled in each constituency. If the latest figure is correct, why is Rajeev Kumar’s EC not feeling comfortable in releasing the total vote polled in each phase?
While 102 seats were contested in the first phase, another 88 seats went to polls in the second phase. After the voting concluded, the Election Commission said that “approximate trend” for first phase on April 19 was 60 per cent, and for the second phase on April 26 was 60.96 per cent. However, the official final figures released on Tuesday revealed that the voter turnout for the first phase was 66.14 per cent, and for the second phase, it was 66.71 per cent.
Barely a week back, the Supreme Court in the matter of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) had held: “The mere suspicion that there may be a mismatch in votes cast through EVMs, thereby giving rise to a demand for a 100% VVPAT slips verification, is not a sufficient ground for the present set of writ petitions to be considered maintainable”. Nevertheless, EC’s coming up with the perceptibly higher corrected figure makes it explicit that the EVMs are not tamper-free. Moreover, an outright denial any possibility of a miscount of votes and not allowing the voters to know that their vote has been indeed counted as recorded — is not the correct constitutional approach. It is also clear since the EVM system suits the BJP and Modi, he is not in the favour of making any change.
It is for Rajeev Kumar’s EC to reply which figure is to be trusted — the one given out after the first phase and also the second phase, or the so called rectified and corrected figure given out yesterday. Believing EC’s clarification would be a severe blow to the truth, transparency and probity expected of the democratic electoral process. On what basis has the EC said that the earlier figures were not correct? Obviously, it must have fed some new figures to claim that the percentage of voting went up by more by 5.5 per cent. The new figure should not have appeared without feeding new information and figures into the EVM. This suspicion is no longer mere apprehension; Rajeev Kumar’s EC’s action has confirmed it.
Significantly, abiding by the dictates of the court no one, neither the petitioners nor the political parties, after conclusion of the voting on both the occasions, questioned functioning of EVM. It was EC which came out in public that the EVM figure released after the two phases were not correct. This simply implied that contrary to the expectation of the court, the existing system failed the electorate, and does not truly reflect the votes cast.
The petitioners and the political parties have demanded paper ballot as they have no trust in the EVM. The latest corrective figure simply endorses their stand. Some Supreme Court lawyers confessed this incident of manipulation of EVM by Rajeev Kumar’s EC would erode the trust of the people in the judiciary. This the worst kind of violation of fundamental right to strengthen democracy by some vested interests. It is high time the Chief Justice of Supreme Court D Y Chandrachud steps in and take command so that democracy is protected from within.
Even before the third phase of election starts on May 7, CJI should constitute a special bench at SC and direct the CJ of High Courts to have the same mechanism at their end. The strong rooms where the EVMs are stored should be under the control of the judiciary. In urgency, if the EC wants to open the strong room, the state electoral officer should furnish an affidavit to the CJ of HC specifying the reason. Rajeev Kumar’s EC cannot be trusted. He has been making a mockery of the peoples’ mandate. (IPA Service)
