Karnataka Meeting Elections 2023: EC rejects Congress’ declare that EVMs used throughout polls had been deployed in South Africa
The Election Fee (EC) has rejected the Congress social gathering’s declare that the Digital Voting Machines (EVMs) used within the Could 10 Karnataka meeting polls had been beforehand deployed in South Africa and requested the social gathering to carry to justice “rumour-mongers” who focused it with false data.
In a letter addressed to Randeep Singh Surjewala, the AICC in control of Karnataka, the EC stated it had used new EVMs manufactured by Electronics Company of India Restricted for the polls within the southern state.
The Congress had written to the ballot panel on Could 8, elevating issues and looking for clarification over the deployment within the Karnataka election of EVMs beforehand deployed in South Africa and that too, with out going by the method of revalidation and re-verification.
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“The priority arises from the truth that this Honorable Fee has deployed EVMs which had been beforehand deployed for elections in South Africa. We now have been knowledgeable of this by varied sources together with the very fact all these EVMs have been obtained instantly again from South Africa with out going by the method of re-validation and re-verification by the suitable software program/mechanisms by the producer i.E. ECIL as additionally certification by the EC. This places in critical doubt the complete validation strategy of the EVM itself,” Surjewala had stated.
Citing information, the ballot panel stated the Congress had particular information that solely newly ECIL-produced EVMs could be utilized in Karnataka. It stated Congress representatives participated in every stage of the EVM motion and commissioning for the Karnataka polls.
The ballot panel asserted it by no means despatched EVMs to South Africa. It additionally stated the truth that EVMs should not utilized in elections in that nation is well verifiable by the web site of the Electoral Fee of South Africa. “As such, there isn’t any query of any machine being utilized by the EC within the Karnataka Legislative Meeting election which had or might have been utilized in South Africa elections or for that matter anyplace on this planet.”
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“All EVMs for use in Karnataka elections, 2023 are new EVMs from ECIL. This reality is in full information of INC,” the ballot panel stated. “The EC by no means imported EVMs from any nation in any respect,” the ballot panel wrote. It advised Surjewala that such a question raised by a Member of Parliament of “your standing” was shocking because the precise data was in particular information of his social gathering.
The Election Fee stated whereas it’s duty-bound to answer to all questions of an MP representing a nationwide political social gathering, “it has famous with concern that INC has chosen to depend on “sources’ and even thought-about looking for a “clarification”, simply two days earlier than the ballot.
The EC famous that it held again a direct reply retaining in thoughts the 46-hour ‘silence interval’ which started at 6 pm on Could 8 and ended on Wednesday night. “The factual foundation of the knowledge offered by the “varied sources” with regard to South Africa being clearly non-existent, categorically empowers INC, being the entity focused by the false data, to publicly expose such mischievous sources.
“Additional, you could guarantee such rumour-mongers are delivered to justice in order that INC’s longstanding popularity of a accountable stakeholder of the Indian electoral system will not be dented,” the EC letter learn. The Fee stated it expects to obtain a affirmation of the motion taken by the social gathering by 5:00 pm on Could 15.
The counting of votes for the Karnataka polls will probably be taken up