Karnataka Proposes Court-Monitored Ethical Hackathon to Audit EVMs

Quick Summary

• Priyank Kharge, Karnataka Minister for Electronics, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, has written to chief election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on September 6, 2025.
• He reiterated a previous proposal from December 2024 for a court-monitored ethical hackathon and audit of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to assess their vulnerabilities.
• Congress-led campaigns in Karnataka have raised concerns about voter fraud and alleged partisanship by the Election Commission of India (ECI), advocating for the use of ballot papers in local body elections-a proposal opposed by BJP.
• Mr. Kharge cited discrepancies highlighted during a supreme Court-sanctioned recount earlier this year in Panipat that overturned the results as evidence supporting his concerns.
• He emphasized that such an initiative would strengthen public trust if EVMs are found tamper-proof while also recommending engagement with reputed research institutions like IISc, IITs, IIITs alongside private technology R&D experts due to their technical expertise.
• In his latest appeal on September 6th to the CEC, Kharge stated that ignoring transparency proposals risks eroding public confidence in democratic systems.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Mr. priyank KhargeS call for a court-monitored ethical hackathon highlights an ongoing debate over EVM integrity and electoral transparency in India’s highly scrutinized democratic process.While resistance surrounding voting methodologies persists between political parties-Congress leaning toward ballot papers versus BJP advocating EVM reliability-the proposal seeks concrete technical assessment driven by self-reliant research institutions and judicial oversight.

The demand reflects broader challenges regarding institutional trust amidst claims from various quarters about vulnerability within India’s electoral machinery. If implemented effectively with impartial scrutiny through expert-driven research analysis alongside audits under judicial purview-as suggested-it could serve as both reassurance and necessary reform to safeguard credibility within future elections nationwide.

Such interventions can set precedence globally showing tech transparent nations groom progressively safeguarding collective will aligned pillars inputs system accountability onwards ahead

**[published – September 08,,]