'Happy to run a tutorial': Rajeev Chandrasekhar calls Elon Musk's post to end EVMs 'sweeping generalisation'

Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar countered Elon Musk's post on eliminating Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), terming it as 'sweeping generalization.'

Musk, on X (formerly Twitter), suggested eliminating EVMs due to the risk of hacking by humans or AI. He was reacting to news of voting discrepancies in Puerto Rico's primary elections caused by a software issue that led to incorrect vote totals. The Puerto Rico Election Commission is reviewing its contract with Dominion Voting Systems after auditing paper receipts from ballot-counting machines to address the issue.

Chandrasekhar countered Musk's concerns, explaining that India's EVMs are custom-designed, secure, and isolated from any network or media, unlike those in the U.S. “No connectivity, no Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Internet. There is no way in. Factory programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed,” he emphasized.

He expressed pride in India's electoral process and EVMs, stating, "EVMs can be architected and built right as India has done. We would be happy to run a tutorial, Elon."

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the Election Commission of India assured the Supreme Court that tampering with EVMs is impossible “at any stage,” in response to petitions seeking cross-verification of 100% EVM votes with VVPAT paper slips.