Social media users are sharing a newspaper clipping that says that Former Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthy said that BJP won Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections through EVM hacking.
The same claim went viral in 2017 when many people tweeted the link of a website, The Dailygraph.
The Lallantop had debunked the claim on January 12, 2018. The viral newspaper clipping matches word to word with the headline of The Dailygraph. In The Dailygraph, it was written, “Former Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthy created a buzz by saying elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were won by BJP due to EVM hacking. Congress and all opposition should protest against EVM and must revolt until Modi government does not ban EVM and announce to conduct elections through the paper ballot.” The said article of The Dailygraph was published on the website on 21 December 2017.
The website did not mention any source or attribution in context of the article. A cursory glance at the content published by the website revealed that this was true for most reports as they didn’t cite the source of information or carry author bylines.
Further, a press note was found which dated 11th March, issued by the Election Commission which mentioned that the poll panel has lodged an FIR against the fake news about EVM hacking attributed to former CEC TS Krishnamurthy.
The press note carried a statement by Krishnamurthy who denied making any such remark.
“It has been brought to my notice that a fake news which had appeared in a Hindi newspaper quite some time back is being activated and re-circulated as if that I express doubts about the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machine, EVM, in the conduct of elections in India. This is utterly false and mischievous to circulate a wrong impression in the ensuing elections.”
He added, “I would like to reiterate that the EVMs are most credible and I have no doubt about its efficacy and reliability. Electronic Voting Machine is indeed our nation’s pride and that there cannot be any doubt whatsoever about its credibility.”
Recently, the Election Commission of India has also released a press note refuting the viral claim. The press note said, “An FIR has been lodged against the fake news about EVM Hacking attributed to Former CEC Sh. T.S. Krishnamurthy circulated over the internet.” Thus, the ongoing viral claim is misleading.
