Experts, politicians invited to demonstration in May.

To all those alleging that the EVMs used by the Election Commission were tampered with in the recent Assembly elections or that they could be hacked, the electoral body has thrown an open challenge asking them to prove the allegations.

The exercise may be carried out in the first week of May. Computer experts and political leaders would be invited to the demonstration site to show that the voting machines are not secure. The move comes days after the Opposition parties met the Election Commission (EC) and requested to replace EVMs with paper ballots, as people had “lost trust” in the efficacy of the machines.

Following similar allegations, the EC had given an open invitation to experts to demonstrate that the EVMs could be tampered with. However, the Commission said, no one could prove that it could be hacked.

After the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Assembly elections, the Opposition parties have on several occasions alleged that the EVMs were tampered with, and each time the EC had maintained that the machines were secure, given the technology used and the administrative processes adopted to ensure their safety.

The Commission has termed such charges incorrect and baseless, stating that none of the complainants have come up with any proof to support their allegations.