Workers organize EVMs in a robust room after the Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bengaluru on May 11, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday mentioned that no digital voting machines (EVMs) used in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly ballot had been deployed in South Africa as alleged by the Congress and requested the social gathering to “publicly expose” the “sources” that unfold such false data.
The ballot physique was responding to fees made by Congress MP and common secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala in a letter written on May 8 whereby he had raised issues concerning the “reuse” in the Karnataka election of EVMs beforehand used in South Africa, with out the due strategy of revalidation and reverification.
The fee mentioned that neither had the EVMs been despatched to South Africa nor had the EC ever imported EVMs from any nation by any means.
South Africa, it mentioned, did not use the machines in any respect. “The fact that EVMs are not used in elections in South Africa is easily verifiable through National and provincial elections Illustrated Booklet (English) on the website of Electoral Commission of South Africa,” it mentioned.
The EC mentioned that the EVMs used in the Karnataka ballot had been manufactured by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), and the Congress was particularly conscious of this.
“This fact is in full knowledge of the INC. The president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee stood specifically informed,” it mentioned including that Congress representatives had participated in every stage of the EVM motion and commissioning for the Karnataka ballot.
The ballot physique mentioned that the factual foundation of the knowledge supplied by the “various sources” to the social gathering with regard to South Africa, was clearly “non-existent”.
It requested the Congress to publicly expose such “mischievous sources”.
“Further, you may ensure such rumour-mongers are brought to justice, so that INC’s long- standing reputation of a responsible stakeholder of the Indian electoral system is not dented,” it mentioned.
The ballot physique mentioned that it had held again an instantaneous response in view of the silence interval and critical potential of unfold of false data and rumour-mongering on the eve of election. It requested the Congress Party to ship affirmation of the motion taken by it in this regard by 5 p.m. of May 15.
Campaigning for the Karnataka ballot has been usually acrimonious with all political events in the fray approaching the EC with complaints and counter-complaints. The outcomes for the 224-member Assembly can be declared on May 13.
