MC poll: Advocate writes to panel on VVPAT use

An advocate has sent a representation to the State Election Commission (SEC) on the use of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the upcoming municipal poll.

Since the past over a decade though EVMs are used for polling/voting for municipal elections in Haryana conducted by the SEC, but without VVPAT — mandatory as per a 2013 judgment of the Supreme Court, Hemant Kumar, an advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said in the representation.

In the reply, the commission, however, expressed its inability, citing non-availability of M3-type EVMs that were VVPAT compatible. Currently, it had the old M2-type EVMs, the usage of which was defended by the commission, saying that there was no chance of hacking them by remote devices.

It further said they could not be tampered with either through hardware port or through wireless, wi-fi or bluetooth devices. The SEC assured about the integrity, fairness and transparency in conduct of elections in a free, fair, reliable and peaceful manner.