Cyber expert alleges 2014 polls were rigged; EC rejects claim

TIL Desk/National/London/ A self-proclaimed United States-based Indian cyber expert on Monday made a sensational claim that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was “rigged” through the Electronic Voting Machines, which, he said, can be hacked, a charge rejected by the Election Commission of India. Addressing a press conference in London via Skype, the man, identified as Syed Shuja, said he fled India in 2014 because he felt threatened in the country after the killing of some of his team members. Although he appeared on screen through Skype, his face was masked.

Shuja, who said he is seeking political asylum in the US, claimed the telecom giant Reliance Jio helped the Bharatiya Janata Party to get low frequency signals to hack the EVMs. He provided no proof to back up his claim. However, Jio was not in operation in 2014 and had launched its services in September 2016. Shuja, who created a flutter, also alleged that other than the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Congress too are involved in rigging of the EVMs.

There was no immediate reaction from any of these parties. He was presented at the press conference held under the aegis of the Indian Journalists’ Association (Europe). He also claimed that BJP leader and union minister Gopinath Munde was “killed” because he was aware of EVM hacking in 2014 general elections. Munde died in a road accident in New Delhi weeks after the BJP won the 2014 elections in May.