Latest news with #MGDevasahayam
Deccan Herald
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
‘EVM misuse is threat to democracy'
Experts l M G Devasahayam, Madhav Deshpande, and Teesta Setalvad have opined that misuse of EVM 'is a threat to democracy.'
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Civil society groups seek probe into vote fraud
BENGALURU: Civil society groups have voiced alarm over what they described as 'serious irregularities' in the functioning of the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue in Bihar. The concerns were raised during a two-day meeting on August 13 and 14, which focused on strategies to address alleged vote manipulation. Former IAS officer M G Devasahayam said participants have been closely monitoring the Supreme Court proceedings on poll-related irregularities. The groups criticised what they termed the slow response of opposition parties - including the Congress - despite repeated warnings from civil society since last year about vote manipulation. They emphasised the need for case-by-case investigations into alleged 'spurious injections' of votes in constituencies across the country. The meeting organisers said they plan to hold a media briefing on Saturday to outline their strategy for taking the issue to the public. Meanwhile, the Congress has raised concerns over electoral irregularities in the Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency. Former MP D K Suresh alleged that anomalies similar to those reported in Mahadevapura had also been detected in Bangalore South and Rajarajeshwari Nagar. These, he said, included bulk voter registrations and unexplained deletions. 'These irregularities are serious and need to be looked into,' he said.
New Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Karnataka activists slam Special Intensive Revision, say poll process ‘weaponised'
BENGALURU: Civil society groups have accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of undermining democracy through the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Speaking at a panel discussion organised by the Forum for Democracy & Communal Amity – Karnataka Chapter (FDCA-K) and CIVIC-Bangalore, election reform advocates said the SIR violates due process and risks mass disenfranchisement. Jagdeep Chhokar, founder-trustee of the Association for Democratic Reforms, said the ECI had 'invented' the SIR despite laws recognising only summary and intensive revisions. He alleged that 2.97 crore voters added after 2003 could lose their voting rights if they fail to produce new documents, handing electoral control to officials and political party-appointed booth-level agents. 'One of the major points of contention is the Election Commission's recent requirement for proof of date of birth during the SIR in Bihar', he said. Retired IAS officer MG Devasahayam, coordinator of the Citizens' Commission on Elections, called the SIR a 'panic reaction' that bypassed established training, drafting, and procedural safeguards. He warned that the electoral process was being 'weaponised' and criticised electronic voting systems for vulnerability to manipulation. He urged replacing EVMs with paper ballots, arguing they reduce large-scale fraud and restore electoral integrity despite minor irregularities. FDCA national general secretary Prof Saleem Engineer said the revision was aimed at excluding voters rather than including them, accusing the Home Ministry of pushing its agenda through the ECI.
