UPSC Mains 2018 GS Paper 2 Q1: model answer
In the light of recent controversy regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), what are the challenges before the Election Commission of India to ensure the trustworthiness of elections in India?
What the question wants
Using the EVM controversy, identify the challenges the Election Commission faces in keeping elections trustworthy.
How to structure it
What are the challenges: technical, perception, institutional.
- The controversy
- Challenges
- What ECI has done
- Way ahead
How to think it through
EVMs have been tested in court many times and survived. The real problem is trust, not tampering. A referee must not only be fair but be seen to be fair, so the answer should treat perception as a genuine challenge.
Model answer
After the 2017 Assembly results, several parties alleged EVM tampering. The Election Commission held an open 'hackathon'; no party turned up to attempt it.
Challenges
- Perception: allegations from whichever side loses, amplified on social media.
- Verification: voters cannot see their vote counted unless the paper trail is checked.
- Technical: machine malfunction, storage and transport security.
- Institutional: doubts about appointment of Commissioners and their independence.
- Money and misinformation, including deepfakes in 2024, remain bigger threats than machines.
What ECI has done
- VVPAT in every booth since 2019; slips of five random booths per segment counted (N. Chandrababu Naidu, 2019).
- In ADR v ECI (April 2024) the Supreme Court rejected a return to paper ballots and full VVPAT counting, but let losing candidates seek a check of microcontrollers within seven days.
- Standalone machines, two-stage randomisation and strong rooms under candidates' watch.
Way ahead
More VVPAT counting on a statistical basis, open technical audits, and plain-language public explanation.
A trustworthy election needs a credible process as much as a reliable machine.
Draw: A trust chain: machine → VVPAT slip → random count → microcontroller check → result.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
EVM, VVPAT, 2017 hackathon, Subramanian Swamy 2013, Chandrababu Naidu 2019, ADR v ECI 2024, burnt memory check, randomisation, strong room.
Where most answers lose marks
- Arguing for a return to paper ballots without mentioning booth capturing and invalid votes of the paper era.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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