As the worlds largest democracy, Indias political theatre has had some towering personalities. Many names come to mind Nehru, Patel, Modi and EVM. Since the turn of the millennium, the EVM has been a key figure for three Lok Sabha elections and countless local polls a record of longevity politicians can only dream of. As the BJP bastion Gujarat went to polls over the weekend, the Electronic Voting Machine was back in the spotlight, making this a perfect time to take a closer look at the real MVP, or most valuable player of Indian politics.
First, lets get to what the nation wants to know. Is the EVM corruptible? As Indians, were so jaded by MPs with FIRs that we doubt anything remotely connected to politics, even simple, sole-function machines. Ever since EVMs were introduced, the word tampering entered the common mans lexicon. One such common man, Arvind Kejriwal, even turned his fears over tampering into full-on performance art, staging a demonstration of EVM-tampering in the Parliament (in the convenient absence of the Election Commissions representatives). There are legitimate concerns about the EVMs malfunctioning: Even the Congress has raised issues over the Gujarat election, claiming that the EVMs used were liable to be tampered by hackers via Bluetooth and WiFi connections.
Despite all the uproar, there is little by way of tangible proof that EVMs are vulnerable to tampering. The suspicion around the EVM is surprising, considering it was originally designed at the Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay, and Indians are notoriously obsessed with acquiring an IIT chhappa. Beyond that, there are many safeguards to prevent the Big T, including double-randomisation when assigning EVMs to polling booths and a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). As for the worries over hacking, the EVMs used in Indian elections arent designed to connect to the internet or any other network, making claims of hacking over WiFi as bogus as Vijay Mallyas tax returns.
The EVM attracts more attention than the latest iPhone as the hottest piece of tech.
In India, then, the EVM attracts more attention than the latest iPhone as the hottest piece of tech. It therefore deserves recognition as Indian politics MVP. Studies have shown that worldwide, introduction of electronic voting has led to an improvement in living standards for poor, which is a promise many politicians make, but rarely deliver on. It even put Modis marathon campaign trail of 2014 to shame, making appearances at over 930,000 polling stations across the country. Beat that, Mr Prime Minister. In honour of its many achievements, lets all cut the EVM some slack. It might just be the unsung hero of Indian politics.
This article was originally published at Arre.
Featured Image Courtesy: Palak Bansal/Arre