EVMs are tamper proof, claim officials

CHANDIGARH, Sept 6: The general fears notwithstanding, election officials claim that the electronic voting machines used for the first time for polling in the Chandigarh Parliamentary constituency are tamper proof.

Officials say that the 644 EVMs after being packed in the specially designed attache-cases have been kept fully secure in the strong rooms at each of the five counting centres. Interestingly, keeping in view the safety of EVMs there, the candidates are also not making extra efforts to check them, unlike in the past.

As per the software of the machines, they have been locked after pressing the quot;Endquot; button, which ensures that they cannot record any further polling. Since the batteries of all the EVMs has also been taken out, there is no reason for even putting them on, say officials. Besides, the quot;resultquot; button of each of the EVMs have also been sealed by the polling officials, which would be unsealed only when the counting takes place.