'EVMs more robust' than pagers: Election Commission refutes EVM manipulation claims by Congress leader

Rashid Alvi, a former MP and Congress spokesperson, claimed that EVMs could be manipulated like pagers belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and urged the opposition to demand paper ballots.

The Election Commission of India responded, saying that “our EVMs are more robust than Hezbollah's pagers.”

Alvi cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "friendship" with Israel to support his claim. Alvi said, “In Maharashtra, the opposition should put pressure on voting by paper ballot and not EVMs.”

He was referring to pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members that were allegedly turned into exploding devices by Israel.

"If not, the BJP government and the EC are limitless. Where does EVM stand if Israel can use walkie-talkies and pagers to assassinate people? The PM's relationship with Israel is excellent. Israel is a pro at these kinds of things. BJP chunav se pehle yeh sab khel kar leti hai, aur EVM ka bada khel kahin bhi ho sakta hai (BJP can easily manipulate EVM before elections)," he said.

Chief Commissioner Rajiv Kumar refuted Congress's claims that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were manipulated in the Haryana elections, claiming that the devices were "100 foolproof" and “cannot be hacked like (Hezbollah) pagers used for blasts.”

"EVMs cannot be hacked. Pagers are connected devices, but EVMs are not," he said. He continued that similar charges have previously been made, claiming that votes cast for one party may be transferred to another.

BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli responded to Alvi's comments by saying, “Congress seems to have lost both its political intellect as well as the plot. In the loss, they flog the same EVMs that also win them votes and states. No wonder there is a regular flight of leaders from Congress towards saner political quarters, the BJP being the primary beneficiary.”

At the request of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was afraid of cell phones and believed that Israeli agents were hacking into group members' devices, Hezbollah had resorted to walkie-talkies and pagers.

To avoid being discovered by Israeli agents, he had instructed Hezbollah militants to destroy their cell phones.

It proved to be a fatal mistake, as Israeli agencies created a front firm to obtain the franchise from the Taiwanese producer of pagers and then entered the supply chain by rigging the devices with explosives that could be detonated by sending an encrypted message.

The encrypted message was sent to the pagers on Sep 17, when Hezbollah was launching missiles at Israel. The blasts caused more than a dozen deaths and thousands of injuries.

A day later, as part of an alleged ambitious plan by Israel, Hezbollah walkie-talkie sets went off as well. However, Israel has not taken responsibility for the inventive warfare.