Voting machines spark row as India polls loom

Election officials defend their use as opposition parties revive allegations that they can be tampered with

People trying out an electronic voting machine with a voter-verifiable paper audit trail at a demonstration by the Election Commission of India in Mumbai.
People trying out an electronic voting machine with a voter-verifiable paper audit trail at a demonstration by the Election Commission of India in Mumbai. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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With about three months left until parliamentary elections begin in the world's largest democracy, Indian opposition parties are training their fire at electronic voting machines.

This issue returned to the spotlight last month after a press conference in London, during which Mr Syed Shuja, a United States-based cyber security researcher, said electronic voting machines used in the 2014 Indian elections were hacked.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 04, 2019, with the headline Voting machines spark row as India polls loom. Subscribe