Election polarisation can leave lasting scars: CEC

Countering the allegations levelled by Congress-led INDIA alliance parties following the recent Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly poll, the Election Commission on Tuesday asserted that there was no scope for tampering or manipulation of EVMs, and that every step of the election process was conducted with complete transparency.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar also warned that polarisation during campaigning could leave lasting scars, urging political parties to avoid crossing lines that could harm the democratic process. He stressed the need for regulated campaigns, highlighting India's elections as a gold standard while noting growing aggression and impatience among younger generations.

Addressing the media while announcing the Delhi Assembly poll schedule, Kumar defended the recent amendment to election rules restricting CCTV footage of booths from public inspection. He said it was meant to protect voters' privacy and prevent use of data for creating fake narratives.

Based on the Election Commission's recommendation, the government had last month tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage of polling stations so as to prevent its misuse.

In his first remarks on tweak of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, Kumar said only sharing of CCTV footage from inside and outside polling booths had been restricted. He said such data or footage was banned for public inspection through the EC's instructions in 2024. He said if the footage was made public, the identity of those who voted and those who did not would be revealed, which violated privacy norms.

Difficult to define ‘freebie’

It is very difficult to define what a “freebie” is and the Election Commission’s “hands are tied” on the issue as it is sub judice, CEC Rajiv Kumar said on Tuesday. He said it was “high time” “accepted and legal answers” were found. Asked about political parties announcing freebies during election campaigns, he said the matter was sub judice and referred to a court judgment that had held freebies were not “disallowed”. pti

Kumar said the poll authority had examples to prove that the data would be used for machine learning and using AI to create narratives. He said even fact-checkers would be unable to find out whether the AI-generated videos of polling stations were fake or genuine.

On electoral roll manipulation allegations levelled by AAP in Delhi, the poll panel gave a detailed presentation on the extensive procedures involving 70 steps. It said each stage was carried out in consultation with political parties, providing ample time for raising objections.

‘Key poll reforms like totaliser ready’

Two key electoral reforms to enhance voter participation and mask voting patterns are ready but would need a political consensus to implement, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Tuesday. He said ‘totaliser’, the technology to link a number of EVMs and hide booth-wise voting patterns, is ready with the Election Commission but it could be used only after political consensus. pti

The CEC stressed that there was no deletion of electoral roll without a personal hearing, and that it was “absolutely impossible” to carry out any tampering. “After the Maharashtra elections, allegations have been levelled about wrongful additions and deletions in electoral rolls. It has been alleged that certain groups or localities were affected. It is our duty to address and respond to these concerns," said Kumar.

Rejecting the allegations of EVM manipulation, he said, "There is no question of introducing a virus or bug in the EVM. There is no possibility of invalid votes in the EVM and no rigging can occur. The Supreme Court and high courts have consistently stated this in various judgments. EVMs are foolproof devices for counting. Allegations of tampering are baseless." He also said returning to ballot papers was regressive and outdated process.