Need of the hour: Hold Gujarat assembly elections scheduled in December 2017 with the Paper Trail method

By Gautam Thaker*
In the recent elections held in Maharashtra, accusations were made about tampering with the EVMs. In the results of the District Panchayat and Mahanagar Palika polls, it has been revealed that EVMs had been hacked. In many places, large difference has been noticed between the number of voters registered and the votes counted.
In Mumbai, it has been found that one candidate had secured '0' vote. In this context candidates of the respective parties have registered complaints before the Election Commission. Shiv Sena, NCP, MANASE, and Congress candidates have lodged complaints about fraud with the EVMs.
Besides that, it is revealed that tampering has also been done with the electoral rolls. During the polls of Mumbai Mahanagar Palika, 11 lakh voters had lost their right to vote at the last moment, as their names were missing. In one ward of Nasik town it so happened that number of votes cast were more than total No. of voters registered.
In Yeravada ward of Pune, number of voters registered was 33,289, but during counting of the votes cast, they were found to be 43324. In one area, after issuance of confirmation letter of victory under the article 194, a victory procession was taken out. Later on after one hour, it was found that counting of one EVM was still pending. In that EVM all the votes cast were found in favour of the BJP candidate and suddenly BJP candidate was declared as winner.
In Sakinaka area of Mumbai, again, one Independent sandidate Shrikant Sirsat secured '0' vote. He maintained that even when his family and neighbours had cast vote in his favour, the outcome was zero. In Nagpur, NCP has raised a clear demand for inquiring into EVM scam.
In Amaravati, all the parties got together and gave a 'Bandh' call against the misuse of EVM. It received good response, which is worth noting. In Kolhapur, one former Judge of the High Court, BG Kolase said that that as there was tampering with EVMs, hence there is necessity of paper trail machine. If it is not possible then demand for 'back to ballot' should be made.
Various similar incidents have happened in the recent elections of five states, as is learnt from the reports received from the media. As regards the EVMs, different ghosts are emerging from the Pandora’s box. Mayawati and all opposition parties have leveled accusations regarding large scale irregularities committed through EVMs in the Assembly elections in UP.
Accusations have been made even to the extent that, by tampering with the EVMs, election results have been manipulated. Opposition parties of India, and especially Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal, are making a huge hue and cry. They do not consider EVMs as reliable. The fear of hacking has penetrated into their minds.
In the year 2009, BJP's Lal Krishna Advani and Dr Subramaniam Swami had expressed severe distrust and doubts about EVMs, and party's chief spokesman GVL Narsimha Rao even authored a book on that. Many computer experts have said that EVM is a computer programme, which can also be modified with the skills of the hackers.
Technical experts keeping vigil on the security of the EVMs also believe that it is not a big issue to hack the EVMs and this can also be proved. In 2009, BJP, accompanied with electronic experts, had in various towns throughout the country, attempted to prove before the people that EVMs can be tampered with. This movement continued till 2014.
A direction was received to implement 'Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail' (VVPAT) by successfully litigating up to the Supreme Court. Paper trail allows the voter the permission to verify as to whom he had voted for. After the voter casts his vote, a printed sheet comes out of the EVM which reveals as to in whose favor he had cast his vote.
The Supreme Court, opining that for free and fair poll VVPAT is essential, issued a directive in January 2017 to the Election Commissioner for its implementation. With the Paper Trail method transparency can be maintained in the electoral process, and at the same time credibility of the EVM machines can also be gained.
In the voting, accuracy can be maintained and in the event of controversy, by manual counting of vote, dispute can be resolved. For free and fair elections, Paper Trail is inevitable. By doing so, trust of the people i.e. voters on the EVMs, can be regained. For this, Paper Trail is a successful tool.
Now the question arises as to whether the Election Commission will implement the directive of the Paper Trail. Before the faith in electoral process is shaken, concerned citizens and organizations will have to make intensive efforts for compulsory implementation of Paper Trail.
An agitation with the demand to organize Gujarat Assembly Polls for the 2017 with the Paper Trail method, is a need of the hour.
---
*General secretary, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog