Panchayat Poll in West Bengal: EVM vs. Paper Ballot

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Sukla Sen

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Jul 9, 2023, 2:20:57 PM7/9/23
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This would have not been possible with the EVM.
I. You can't just go on continuously pressing the button.
Each push has to be separately enabled -- each time following a set protocol.
II. The (helpless) polling officer, who's actually protesting, could have very well remotely deactivated the machine had it been EVM.
III. Of course, the EVM is just no answer to violence. But, it restricts (terror-enabled) false voting in a very big way.

On violence:

[Btw, all these are all taken from the FB wall of a (self-proclaimed) Congress activist from Murshidabad.
Regardless of the political affiliation, and all that it implies, there's no ground to suspect that any of these videos is/are doctored. Hence, quite valuable documents coming from a citizen journalist with a specific political orientation.]

Sukla

Sukla Sen

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Jul 12, 2023, 6:42:04 AM7/12/23
to Satinath Choudhary, Socialist Party, Sandeep Pandey, Devasahayam MG, foil-l, Discussion list about emerging world social movement
Dear Sati ji,

Thanks for the response.

I. Ballot stuffing in India must be quite old. Reportedly happening since 1957.
Bihar, in particular was notorious for that.
In West Bengal, it was resorted to in a big way in 1971 with the state machinery under the Congress control then fairly actively participating.
It'd be resorted to in an even bigger way in 1972. This time, even counting was, allegedly, in a big way tampered with. Of course, with the active intervention of the state. 
That also glaringly underlined what may happen with the ballot boxes when the state intervenes on behalf of one of the contending parties.
II. It's only in 2004, the parliamentary poll used (only) EVMs.
No ballot stuffing. No tampering at the counting table.
III. In West Bengal, the allegations are against the ruling TMC.
It's truly fantastical to propose that the TMC is doing something to discredit ballot boxes!

Let me stop at that.
Yes, demands should be raised to further increase, from the current 5, the number of EVMs per assembly seat to be cross-tallied with the VVPAT slips. (Ref.: <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/count-vvpat-slips-of-5-booths-in-each-assembly-seat-sc/articleshow/68786810.cms>.)

Sukla

On Wed, Jul 12, 2023, 11:29 Satinath Choudhary <sati...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Sukla jee,
I would make my response brief:
You agree that the world over, people agree that EVMs can be rigged, and therefore they all, including India, require paper trails. 

The difference is that most countries have some civility left in them, with the exception of India, where there is no civility left in the current government. Most other countries that use EVMs use paper trails also. In India, we do have paper trails, but in particular, the Modi government does not allow paper trails to be counted except one or two per constituency or something like that. 

If the government wins with the help of EVMs, they would know where and which EVMs were rigged, and would make sure that the corresponding VVPATs are not subjected to verification count. Therefore we must avoid the use of EVMs all over India. 

Using "terror-enabled" ballot stuffing some vote thievery may be happening, and some of them may be recorded and shared. There is also a good possibility of "staging" such ballot stuffing for the purpose of discrediting paper ballots and hand counting.

On the other hand, we do not know whether Indian EVMs are rigged or not. If they are rigged, there is no way to find out about their use, unless one of the BJP-RSS operatives betrays the secret code used for the "dacoities" to the opposition or the press. 
-Satinath
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Sukla Sen

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Jul 16, 2023, 10:08:18 PM7/16/23
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In the Calcutta High Court.
Complaints of tampering with the counting, post-chhappa voting, at the counting centres are being heard.

Here's a video clip of ballot boxes in the strongroom(!) being taken to the counting centre: <https://fb.watch/lQ1moyd7eN/>.

Here's a video clip of chhappa voting underway: <https://fb.watch/lQ1Gnpsllx/>.

Sukla

Sukla Sen

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Jul 18, 2023, 12:23:46 AM7/18/23
to Discussion list about emerging world social movement, Say NO 2 UID Core Group
A relevant exchange.

Dear XXX,

Thanks for responding.

My initiating post under this this thread had put it thus: "Of course, the EVM is just no answer to violence. But, it restricts (terror-enabled) false voting in a very big way." [Emphasis in original.]

Let me restate and elaborate.
1. EVM restricts the scope of chhappa voting. In a rather big way. It, to be sure, doesn't completely eliminate.
2. It makes tampering at the counting table almost impossible.
3. There's of course the legitimate apprehension of technology-enabled rigging.
As yet, there's no tangible evidence of that actually happening, beyond hearsays and some loose unregistered allegations [and of course assumptions and presumptions].
More importantly, the poll outcomes of West Bengal and Karnataka -- the latter having a "double-engine government" -- the two by far the most bitterly fought assembly polls since the last general election, strongly suggest otherwise.
4. However, technology keeps constantly evolving.
Hence one must keep a hawk's eye on the scenario.
There're both technological and administrative safeguards/hurdles built in the system. One must ensure that these are not curtailed or somehow bypassed or leapt over.
Right now, as per the latest SC order, VVPAT slips from 5 EVMs per assembly constituency are to be cross-tallied with the results from the EVMs. A very sensible demand would be to raise that number. The current EC -- perceived to be an extended arm of the executive -- is, of course, not going to oblige. The only hope, if at all any, is the Supreme Court.

Conclusion
The West Bengal Panchayat Poll decisively demonstrates that, under the obtaining circumstances, the demand of "back to ballot boxes" would be utterly stupid and suicidal.

Sukla

On Mon, Jul 17, 2023, 15:46 'XXX' wrote:
Point taken, Sukla - there is plenty of scope for vote-rigging with paper ballots. But that doesn't mean there's no scope for it with EVMs. We heard there was a surge in voting in Gujarat after the polls had closed, and an RSS informant told Paranjoy Guha-Thakurtha that in certain voting centres, the main polling officer was given a huge sum to distribute to underlings, who were then instructed to press the button for the BJP every 7 seconds for the next hour. That's an electronic form of ballot-box stuffing. Then in Bihar, if you remember, a cop had reported to his superior that trucks containing EVMs had been hijacked and substituted with other trucks, and when he asked what to do, was advised to do nothing if he wanted to keep his job. Another form of vote-riggning with EVMs. And perhaps VVPATs are also involved, so counting them won't help. Only if all parties are allowed to monitor the vote and subsequent movement of EVMs and actively do so can these be eliminated.

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