Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 5 (ANI): Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday questioned the Election Commission of India's approach to testing the security of electronic voting machines (EVMs), arguing that political parties do not possess the technical expertise required to conduct a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of an electronic voting system.
In a post on X, Kharge said the ECI's challenge was directed at political parties, but questioned how political organisations could conduct a serious technical assessment of the system.
"The ECI's so-called challenge was offered to political parties. How exactly are political parties supposed to conduct a serious technical vulnerability assessment of an electronic voting system?" Kharge said.
Kharge said he had twice written to the Chief Election Commissioner seeking what he described as a more credible mechanism -- a court-monitored technical audit and an ethical hackathon involving independent cybersecurity experts, engineers and researchers.
"I had written to the CEC twice, for something far more credible: a court-monitored technical audit and ethical hackathon involving independent cybersecurity experts, engineers and researchers," he said.
He argued that such an exercise should put the EVM system before specialists capable of examining its architecture, software, access controls and potential vulnerabilities.
"Put the system in the hands of people who actually know how to test architecture, code, access controls and vulnerabilities," Kharge said.
The Karnataka minister also questioned the BJP's response to his demand and asked why the party was defending the Election Commission's position.
"And once again, why are you so desperate to speak for the ECI?" he said.
Kharge further offered Karnataka's support for conducting an independent technical exercise, saying the state government was willing to sponsor the initiative and bring together experts from the country's technology ecosystem.
"If you genuinely believe the system is secure, tell your masters to bring it to India's technology capital. The Karnataka Government is willing to fully sponsor an independent exercise and bring together some of the best technical minds in the ecosystem," he said.
He added, "No matter how much you'd like it, EVM security cannot be settled in Keshav Kunj."
Kharge's remarks are part of his long-standing demand for an independent technical examination of EVMs. In September 2025, he had again written to the Election Commission seeking a court-monitored technical audit and ethical hackathon, a proposal he had first submitted in December 2024. He had suggested that technical institutions, cybersecurity researchers and other independent experts be involved in the exercise.
The Election Commission, meanwhile, has maintained that its EVMs are standalone machines and are not connected to the internet or external networks. The Commission has also pointed to multiple technical and administrative safeguards, including first-level checking, mock polls, sealing procedures and involvement of representatives of recognised political parties.
The ECI had previously conducted an EVM challenge in 2017, inviting recognised political parties to demonstrate whether EVMs used in the 2017 Assembly elections could be tampered with under the prescribed technical and administrative safeguards. According to the Commission's records, two parties expressed interest but did not proceed with the challenge.
Concluding his post, Kharge also questioned the registration and financial status of the RSS, asking, "BTW, when are you getting the money laundering RSS registered?" (ANI)
"EVM security cannot be settled in Keshav Kunj", Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge demands independent audit of EVMs
