Fact Check: EVMs cannot be manipulated using mobile phone OTP

The police booked him under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for disobeying official orders and also under the Representation of the People Act. A report published by Midday cited the police saying that the mobile phone was used to generate the OTP that unlocked the EV machine. This report was shared by several social media users. The Midday report sparked controversial remarks by the social media users with captions in Telugu “EVM టాంపరింగ్ డొంక కదిలింది. ఇద్దరి ముసలోళ్ల జీవితాలు జైల్లో ముగిసేతట్టు ఉంది దొంగలు తప్పించుకోలేరు.” The users claim that the kin of Ravindra Waikar used the OTP generated on his mobile phone to manipulate the EVM during the counting of votes cast for Lok Sabha 2024.

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Fact Check:

The claim is False. The EVMs are standalone systems that do not need an OTP to unlock it.

When we searched for further reports, we found a tweet by ANI where Mumbai Suburban Returning officer, Vandana Suryavamshi stated that "No OTP is needed to unlock the EVM. There is no mobile OTP needed to unlock the EVM as it is a non-programmable offense...It has advanced technical features and there is no communication device on the EVM...It is a technically full-proof system & EVM is a standalone system. It does not require any OTP..."

According to the report published in The Wire: After the news report went viral and the furore it caused on social media, Vandana Suryavanshi, the Returning Officer of the 27 Mumbai North West parliamentary constituency, denied the allegations made in the story. Suryavanshi claimed that the EVM machines do not need an OTP to be locked. In a press conference in Mumbai, Suryavanshi claimed: “There is no OTP on mobile for unlocking EVM as it is non-programmable and it has no wireless communication capabilities. It is a complete lie being spread by a newspaper, which is being used by some leaders to create false narrative.”

Suryavanshi further said: “The OTP generated was related to ENCORE, an online data compilation system and that was only restricted to updating the data on the Election Commission’s official website.” To input data into the system, a few persons at every polling station have access to this compilation system, Suryavanshi claimed. “It is unfortunate that the mobile used by one of our officers fell into unauthorized hands and we have already filed a police complaint,” she added.

The report also states that the Vanrai police station issued a press note denying the claims made by the Mid-Day story. Cops have said that the Mid-Day story’s claim, attributing a quote to an unnamed police official, that a mobile phone was used to generate the OTP that unlocked the EVM used inside the NESCO Centre on June 4 is baseless.

“No such information was ever shared by the Vanrai police station. The news report has made false claims and has led to a lot of unnecessary confusion. Necessary action will be taken against the media houses that have caused this confusion,” the press note read.

According to the NDTV report, the EC said the returning officer has issued notice to the Mid-Day newspaper for "spreading disinformation about the EVM and creating doubts in the Indian electoral system." "EVMs are standalone devices without any wires or wireless connectivity with units outside the EVM system... Safeguards include conducting everything in the presence of candidates or their agents," the EC said. The EC said the counting of Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) is done in a physical form (paper ballot), and not in an electronic form "as is being spread through false narratives."

The report shared the tweet by the District Election Officer Mumbai Suburban District.

Therefore, the claim that the EVM machines can be tampered using a mobile phone OTP is False. EVMs are standalone machines that cannot be manipulated using any electronic device.