Prove EVM Can Be Hacked, Challenges Shiv Sena Winner Ravindra Waikar

The man at the centre of the EVM controversy, Shiv Sena (Shinde) Lok Sabha member Ravindra Waikar, has challenged the detractors of his victory to prove that the EVMs can be hacked. Had it been possible, the NDA could have won more than 400 seats, he said while reprimanding them. Waikar called on MNS leader Raj Thackeray on Tuesday to thank him for his support. About the crucial chain of events on 4 June, Waikar said his opponent, UBT Sena’s Amol Kirtikar, was declared ahead by a single vote at the end of the EVM vote counting. In the morning, when (postal) ballots were counted, he had obtained 1550 votes against Amol’s 1501. When both EVM and ballot votes were counted, there was a margin of 48 votes on his side, he maintained. Waikar claimed that at 5.51 pm that day, Amol was reported to have won by a margin of 2200 votes. At that time, over one lakh votes had remained to be counted. Hence he checked with election officials, who said it was not declared by them. “This means some more people, too, had mobile phones inside the counting centre,” he asserted. On the other hand, Amol has declared his resolve to challenge Waikar’s election in the Bombay high court. A purported statement by Elon Musk has provided gist to the opposition ammunition. However, Waikar has welcomed any challenge to his victory.