Jhooth Ke Gubbarey Mat Udaiye: CEC Rajiv Kumar Debunks Voter Turnout Mismatch Narrative

Delhi Election Dates 2025: “It is impossible to change voter turnout...Some polling parties report at midnight or the next day. Form 17C is matched before counting. There is nothing which VTR does not explain. It explains fully”, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, strongly debunking voter turnout mismatch narrative. 

For the unversed, In the heat of election season, opposition parties often allege voter turnout manipulation, especially in constituencies where they face defeat. 

However, coming down heavily on them, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said that such claims are baseless and fail to consider the procedural realities of polling. "EVMs are tamper-proof. They undergo scrutiny at every stage. From commissioning, which takes place around 7-8 days before polling day, to counting, the EVMs are never out of the sight of the candidate and officials even once, and at every step, political party agents and candidates are informed," he said.  

As polling stations near closure, election officials are tasked with critical responsibilities, including updating voter turnout figures and completing Form 17C—a document handed over to polling agents to ensure transparency. 

CEC Kumar also addressed concerns regarding alleged discrepancies between the votes polled and the votes counted. In a statement aimed at dispelling doubts, the CEC explained that the Election Commission follows a rigorous and transparent process to ensure the accuracy of election results. 

Kumar stressed that the tallying of votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is carefully verified against Form 17C. This form serves as an official record of votes polled and ensures transparency in the counting process. 

He clarified a critical point of misunderstanding: the Voter Turnout Ratio (VTR) app used by the Election Commission reflects only EVM votes and does not include postal ballot votes, which are tallied separately. 

The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, in a poetic appeal, urged all political parties to refrain from levelling baseless accusations against the electoral process.

Speaking with eloquence, he said,"Aarop aur ilzaam ka daur chale, koi gila nahi, Jhooth ke gubbaare bulandi milein, koi shikva nahi. Har parinaam mein pramaan dete hain, Par woh bina saboot shak ki nayi duniya raunak karte hain."  

Highlighting the futility of entertaining unfounded doubts, he further added, “Aur shak ka ilaaj to Hakeem Luqman ke paas bhi nahi.”

Kumar Addresses Two Posts By Elon Musk

Kumar also addressed remarks made by Elon Musk, who had previously called for the elimination of EVMs, claiming they were vulnerable to hacking by humans or artificial intelligence. Musk had further emphasised the importance of paper ballots for ensuring honest and fair elections.

“It’s a misconceived narrative. A global IT expert said EVMs can be hacked while our elections were going on. They (America) don’t have EVMs, they have electronic voting mechanisms. The remarks created a pandemonium here. The same expert later said that India takes a single day to finish counting, while the US takes over a month. We just follow the narratives that are suiting," Kumar said at the presser.  

What Did Elon Musk Say On EVMs? 

In June 2024, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a historic third term in the Lok Sabha elections, Elon Musk stirred controversy by advocating for the "elimination" of EVMs. “We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," he said on X.