Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, who took charge in December last year, spoke to NDTV amid the ongoing general elections. Sunil Arora spoke on complaints of EVM malfunctioning and electoral bonds.
Here are the highlights from Sunil Arora's interview with NDTV:
On VVPAT, we have given a detailed affidavit to the honourable Supreme Court.
It was the direction passed by the honourable court, instead of one, five VVPATs should be counted selected randomly, as cases in the past, that is done in the presence of the representatives of political parties.
EVMs are not the invention or innovation of this Election Commission or before it, they have been used for more than 2 decades. VVPATs came subsequently, in which the honourable court directed the then ECI that this also be introduced, it was duly done. Now if you have to take the blood test of a patient, you take from one place or 20 places?
They are standalone machines, they are not connected, they cannot be tampered, they can malfunction.
I am nobody to comment on the directions of the court, yes the ECI firmly reiterated its stand on the issue (electoral bonds) in the court. Yes, identities should be known.
Electoral bonds is not the first issue we have taken. We continue to do our job silently.
(On accusations of the Election Commission being a branch of the BJP) If a leader gives evidence, we are ready to respond to it.
Raids are non-discriminatory, impartial, neutral. They may have political ramifications.
