A recent statement by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on the vulnerability of electronic voting systems (EVMs) has stirred fresh debate in India over the reliability of its own voting process. However, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has strongly refuted any concerns, affirming that Indian EVMs are completely tamper-proof and secure.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Ranchi, Kumar clarified that India’s EVMs are stand-alone machines that do not have any capability to connect with the internet, Bluetooth, or infrared. “EVMs used in our country cannot be connected with anything in any way. Therefore, they cannot be hacked or tampered with,” Kumar stated.
He further pointed out that the EVMs in India are manufactured by public sector undertakings (PSUs) and undergo strict legal scrutiny before being deployed in elections. “In India, EVMs made by PSUs were used, and on these machines, legal scrutiny had been done,” he added.
Responding to concerns about possible tampering, Kumar said, “Five crore VVPAT slips have been counted, and no discrepancies have been reported,” reaffirming the Election Commission's confidence in the current system.
Gabbard, speaking during a Cabinet meeting convened by US President Donald Trump on April 10, stated that their intelligence department has evidence that electronic voting systems are "vulnerable to exploitation." She advocated for paper ballot-based elections to ensure integrity. “We have evidence of how these electronic voting systems have been vulnerable to hackers for a very long time and vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the results of the votes being cast,” she said.
It is important to note that Gabbard did not specifically mention the EVMs used in India. Despite this, the comment has prompted political reactions. Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded a suo motu probe by the Supreme Court. “The EC and the Centre should reach out to the US government and Gabbard to collect all the details of hacking and other vulnerabilities of EVMs,” he said.
