Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar strongly rebutted Elon Musk's remarks about electronic voting machines (EVMs). Musk, in a post on X, suggested that EVMs should be eliminated due to potential hacking risks by humans or AI, even if the risks are minimal.
Chandrasekhar dismissed Musk’s concerns as a "huge sweeping generalisation" without basis. He clarified that while such risks might be relevant in the US and other regions using standard computing platforms for "Internet-connected voting machines," this is not the case in India.
He stated, “Indian EVMs are custom designed, secure and isolated from any network or media - No connectivity, no bluetooth, wifi, Internet. ie there is no way in. Factory programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed.”
Musk responded briefly with, "Anything can be hacked."
Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi sided with Musk, expressing his long standing scepticism about the inviolability of EVMs. Gandhi called them a "black box" and emphasised concerns about transparency and accountability in India’s electoral process. "EVMs in India are a 'black box,' and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," he posted on X.
