Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has called for a meeting of opposition party leaders to discuss the efficacy of the Rural Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). The meeting is scheduled to take place at Pawar’s residence on Thursday evening.
In a letter written to all opposition leaders, Pawar expressed his concern regarding the doubts raised by some civil society activists and political parties about the EVM’s accuracy. He proposed to convene a meeting of all political parties who share these concerns to discuss the issue.
Pawar emphasized that the meeting has been called in the interest of free and fair elections and to listen to the views expressed by eminent IT professionals and cryptographers. He referred to a report by the Chief Election Commissioner that contains the views of information technology professors, cryptographers, and retired government officials, which raised some pertinent questions about the EVM.
The development comes after the Chief Election Commissioner promised to respond to doubts raised by civil society activists and political parties. In May 2022, civil society activists submitted a letter to the Election Commission of India raising doubts about the possibility of manipulating the EVM. However, there was no acknowledgment of their letter by the ECI. The NCP chief’s initiative comes as doubts about the accuracy of the EVM are being raised even by the common man.
Overall, the meeting of opposition party leaders called by Sharad Pawar is significant as it highlights the need to address concerns about the efficacy of the EVM and its potential impact on free and fair elections in India.