Controversy Over Use of EVM Machine: There are controversies and concerns around the world regarding Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). Political debate continues in India regarding the use of EVMs, while countries like Bangladesh, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands have discontinued it. Know here in which countries EVMs were banned and what were the reasons behind it.
Bangladesh used EVMs in the 2018 general elections, but opposition parties, especially the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), made serious allegations of misuse of EVMs. After this, the use of traditional ballot boxes was started from the general elections of 2023. Due to this, the budget of Taka 8,711 crore for purchasing new EVMs was also rejected. Its only objective was to ensure transparency and credibility in the election process.
Ban on use of EVM machine in Japan
In Japan, one of the most powerful countries in Asia, there is a ban on the use of EVM machines since 2018. There too, questions were raised on the security and transparency of EVMs. Where the court found that there is a possibility of EVM tampering. For this reason its use was stopped after the municipal elections. Germany even declared EVM unconstitutional. On this, 15 years ago i.e. in 2009, the German court had declared EVM unconstitutional. While hearing the case, the court had said that due to EVM, lack of transparency has been seen in the voting process. The system is opaque to common citizens. With its help, election results can be manipulated, after which the use of ballot box was approved.
Ban on EVM in European countries
Even in the European country Netherlands, there is a ban on EVMs due to security flaws. In 2006, the group “We Do Not Trust Voting Computers” exposed security vulnerabilities in the Nedap/Gronendaal EVMs, finding that the EVMs were susceptible to tampering. With its help, there is a possibility of influencing the election results. After this, in 2007, EVMs were banned by court order and use of paper ballots was started. Apart from this, the use of EVM has been completely banned in Ireland and Italy in 2010.
Know what is the condition of Pakistan?
On one hand, many countries have banned the use of EVMs. At the same time, India’s neighboring country Pakistan is considering its use. For this, Pakistan has developed a prototype EVM and is considering the possibility of conducting elections through it. However, no concrete decision has been taken yet. While EVMs are being used on a large scale in India, Congress and some other political parties are preparing for a big movement by raising questions on its transparency. This debate is becoming more intense in the context of international events.
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