AAP MLA tweets video of 'EVM tampering in Chhattistgarh'; turns out to be 2017 video from UP

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Praveen Kumar recently tweeted a video of an Electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctioning, and claimed that it is from Chhattisgarh.

However, a Times of India report, debugged that theory, stating that the video was actually from 2017 during Uttar Pradesh's state elections that the BJP won by a landslide.

In the video, the EVM records the vote for BJP, even as a voter votes BSP.

Tweeting about the video, Kumar said, "Elections are underway in Chhattisgarh, press any button, vote goes to lotus. See for yourself."

In 2017, AAP went into a frenzy, claiming that the EVMs had been tampered with and even held a live demonstration at Vidhan Bhavan in the national capital.

Bringing in a dummy EVM machine, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that anyone knowing a ‘secret code’ can tamper with the machines. He claimed that to game a machine, "only the motherboard needs to be changed and that can be done in 90 seconds."

Bharadwaj, who introduced himself as a former computer science engineer, rigged a mock poll on a machine "similar to an EVM" that he carried to the assembly and alleged, "There are secret codes that can be used to decide on the day of voting which candidate can win."

The machine used today by AAP is a prototype created by IIT alumni and tested by "EVM experts," according to the party. It has challenged critics to prove that it "has even one per cent difference," a claim instantly rubbished by sources in the Election Commission (EC).