GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 17th June. A political controversy has erupted in Maharashtra following news reports alleging that the phone of a Shiv Sena candidate’s aide was connected to an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) during vote counting in the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. The allegations have sparked a war of words between leaders of the NDA and the INDIA bloc.
Ravindra Waikar, a leader from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, won the Mumbai North West seat by a narrow margin of 48 votes. Amol Kirtikar from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction was the runner-up. The Thackeray faction secured nine Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, while Shinde’s faction won seven.
In response to the reports, leaders from Uddhav Thackeray’s party demanded the release of CCTV footage from the counting day. The Election Commission dismissed the reports and issued notices to the publishers.
Vandana Suryavanshi, the returning officer for Mumbai North West, clarified that an EVM is a standalone system that requires no OTP for unlocking. “It is not programmable and has no wireless communication capabilities. The news reports are false,” she stated.
However, Suryavanshi admitted that the personal mobile phone of Dinesh Gurav, a data entry operator, was found with an unauthorized person—Waikar’s brother-in-law, Mangesh Pandilkar. She noted that the data entry and vote counting processes are separate and emphasized that the unauthorized use of the phone is under investigation.
Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray’s son and a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), accused the Election Commission of lacking the courage to release the CCTV footage. “We have always suspected tampering with EVMs. Even Elon Musk has mentioned the risk of hacking. Despite requests, the Election Commission refuses to release the footage,” he said.
The controversy was further fueled by a social media comment from Elon Musk, who advocated for the elimination of electronic voting machines due to hacking risks. His remark drew a strong response from BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who asserted that Indian EVMs are secure and isolated from any network.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used Musk’s comments to question the transparency of EVMs in India, calling them a “black box” and raising concerns about electoral accountability. His statements drew a rebuttal from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who challenged Gandhi to resign and contest elections again if he distrusts EVMs.
The row has intensified with other political leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, sharing Musk’s concerns and calling for the cessation of technology that causes problems.
As the political debate continues, the Election Commission maintains that the integrity of the EVMs is intact and any irregularities are being investigated.
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