The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday rejected a self-proclaimed cyber expert’s claim that the party had contacted him to show how electronic voting machines could be hacked, PTI reported.
Syed Shuja, who is based in the United States, alleged that the 2014 General Elections were rigged. Addressing a press briefing on Monday, he claimed he could demonstrate how the voting machines can be hacked. He claimed that major political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Aam Aadmi Party, were involved in the rigging of voting machines.
“SP and BSP contacted my ‘team members’ to help them, while AAP asked to show it how EVMs could be rigged,” Shuja had said.
Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the party had contacted “many persons” to demonstrate that electronic voting machines could be hacked but denied that Shuja was one of them. “No, we did not contact him,” Bhardwaj said.
In 2017, Bhardwaj had demonstrated how to rig an electronic voting machine after accusing the BJP of tampering with the voting machines to win the civic polls in Delhi.
Bhardwaj, however, reiterated his party’s stand that electronic voting machines can be tampered with. “We reiterate that EVMs [electronic voting machines] in the current form are prone to tampering and is a serious threat to the elections and independence of India,” Bhardwaj said.
Bhardwaj on Monday said that 25% voting machines should be selected in random to verify results with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails. “If government cannot implement 100% VVPAT, then elections should be conducted using paper ballot,” he said.
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