What the thunder said

Opposition parties can take heart from breaking of myths by voters in Karnataka

- Captain G.R. Gopinath

THE EMPHATIC VICTORY of the Congress in the Karnataka election in May has broken several myths.

Myth 1. Electronic voting machines are rigged

Opposition parties blame EVMs when they lose elections. Even the BJP did so in 2009 when the Congress won elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh. Although allegations of EVM rigging had not a shred of evidence, many people believed them. But the Congress victory in Karnataka proves that EVMs are unfairly blamed, and that Indian elections are fair and transparent.

All the same, it behoves the Election Commission to order credible third-party audits periodically to certify the robustness and integrity of EVMs. The integrity of election commissioners, too, has been under a cloud. There is a perception that they are beholden to the ruling party and have often capitulated, and have not acted with independence in election disputes.

But, the commission has conducted flawless elections in states and to the Lok Sabha. Its task is herculean, considering the sheer number of voters (about one billion), the country's vast and varied terrain, and the administrative complexity of deploying lakhs of polling and counting officials and security personnel.

While international agencies paint India as an electoral autocracy and rank it poorly on the freedom index, it is heartening that India conducts its elections fairly and efficiently, and counts the votes and announces the results quickly-even in the communally polarised Karnataka, which went on to choose an atheist as chief minister. This yet again validates the vibrancy of our democracy.