Reconsider terms for EVM hackathon: Pankaj Gupta

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to reconsider the terms set for the EVM challenge scheduled in the coming week and allow it to be an open 'hackathon' where tampering of any kind can be demonstrated.

"We would like to strongly urge you to reconsider the terms of the EVM challenge. Please do not set any such rules and regulations and allow it to be an open hackathon where tampering of any kind can be demonstrated on the machine," AAP's national secretary Pankaj Gupta said in a memorandum submitted to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.

A party delegation visited the Election Commission and told the poll panel that AAP, along with other parties, have pointed at tampering of EVMs as a major reason behind their defeat in the recent state assembly and civic body polls.

The party has also alleged that the tampering with the motherboards in the EVMs was the reason behind BJP's wins in the recent assembly and civic body polls following which it had also demonstrated in the Delhi Legislative Assembly how EVMs can be tampered with.

Responding to the allegations of AAP, the Commission organised an EVM challenge on June 3 in which political parties can test machines deployed in recently held assembly polls.