EVM Row: From Rahul Gandhi to Elon Musk to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Here's What Has Happened So Far

The EVM debate is once again dominating headlines even though the Lok Sabha elections have concluded, with the Modi-led BJP taking office for the third straight time, albeit with a slightly weaker majority.

Last week, Tesla founder and Billionaire, Elon Musk stated in a social media post that voting machines should be eliminated, citing hacking risks. And while netizens had varying views on his comments, Rajeev Chandrasekhar labelled Musk's claims as "factually incorrect."

"I think he(Elon Musk) is factually incorrect in saying that anything can be hacked. A calculator or a toaster cannot be hacked. Therefore, there is a limit in terms of where this paradigm of hacking can extend. Elon Musk has not understood what the Indian EVM is," Chandrasekhar told ANI.

He said that Indian EVMs cannot be hacked as they are simple devices with limited intelligence.

"Indian EVMs do not lend itself to being hacked because it is precisely very limited intelligence device...He is factually wrong...To claim that there cannot be a secure digital product in the world is to then say that every Tesla car can be hacked..." he added.

He also pointed out that Indian EVMs are very different from those used in the US and other Western countries.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs), in Western nations, often use connected devices that can access Wi-Fi, 5G, or the Internet. On the other hand, Indian EVMs are intentionally designed to be safe and secure because they operate without any connectivity to these networks.

After Elon Musk's post, many opposition leaders voiced their concerns over EVMs.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi labelled EVMs as 'black boxes' in a social media post.

Akhilesh Yadav also raised his concern over technology, saying it should solve problems, not create them. He questioned BJP's inclination towards the usage of EVMs despite the technology attracting widespread criticism.