Electronic voting machines cannot be tampered: Bharat Electronics Limited

They are like ordinary electronic calculators that cannot be connected to any network.

Update: 2018-04-13 20:39 GMT
BEL and Electronics Corporation of India are the only companies supplying EVMs to Election Commission of India.

CHENNAI: Refuting the criticism of political parties on tampering of electronic voting machines (EVM), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), one of the
manufacturers of the paperless ballot system, said that tampering or hacking arises only when the device is connected to the network.

“None of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) can be tampered. They are like ordinary electronic calculators that cannot be connected to any network,” M.V. Gowtama, chairman and managing director of BEL, told mediapersons on the sidelines of ongoing DefExpo in Chennai.

BEL and Electronics Corporation of India are the only companies supplying EVMs to Election Commission of India. Reacting to allegations from various political parties that EVMs might have tampered in recent elections in favour of ruling party, Gowtama said that EVMs are produced by both companies in secured manufacturing areas and there are many checks and balances to ensure that every EVM is produced is traceable, auditable and ensured that the machines are 100 per cent safe.

“Voter verifiable paper auditor trial (VVPAT) has given as a confidence-building measure,” he said. He also said that the company delivered large numbers of the latest version of EVM (M3) before March. Following the success of EVMs in India, many foreign countries, including Namibia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, have expressed interest in using EVMs in their countries.

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