Aam Aadmi Party blamed rigged Electronic Voting Machines after it suffered a string of defeats in recently conducted state and MCD polls. AAP convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal even appealed to the Election Commission that the results of all polling booths where voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines were deployed be cross-verified with the paper trail so that doubts over use of rigged EVMs is cleared. While Kejriwal found support in a section of the Opposition, many in his own party broke ranks with him on the issue. Also one of the reason expert attributed to AAP ‘s loss in the MCD elections was it’s going to town about rigged machines without any concrete proof.
AAP also received a terse reply from poll body which asked it it to file an election petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court if it wanted to verify the votes cast in the Punjab Assembly polls with the paper trail data.
Also, the EC has maintained that it is not possible to rig on hack EVMs.
However, this video of former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director James Woolsey puts weight in AAP’s theory that EVMs are not tamper proof.
Fmr CIA Dir Woolsey: “Russia can hack 25% Voting Machines” #TrumpRussia @LouiseMensch @funder @Greg_Palast @20committee @selectedwisdom pic.twitter.com/RYryg9SjzQ
— Women Save USA __ (@WomenSaveUSA) April 6, 2017
Speaking to CNN, Woolsey said,” We go to an election where 25% of our voting machines are don’t leave paper trail, most of those can be hacked, certainly the once that have a paper trail that can help have a recount but 25% of our voting machine, Russia may be controlling things with its hacking a lot more than any American would do want that’s the problem involving Russia.”
Some AAP leaders and supporters shared this video to make a point.
But Indian EVM’s are safe nd anyone raising question on them is anti national and should be sent to Pakistan.#सब_मिलके_पागल_बना_रहे_हैं https://t.co/eR6eQ18sBA
— Ankit Lal (@AnkitLal) May 4, 2017
Listen to this… https://t.co/JxS0pmLa8h
— Krishan Partap Singh (@RaisinaSeries) May 4, 2017
AAP had threatened to begin agitation against EVM tampering, later though Kejriwal said that it was time to introspect rather than play the blame-game.
