During the recent 2024 state assembly elections, Pawan Chamling, the former chief minister and president of the Sikkim Democratic Front, expressed doubts about the accuracy of electronic voting machines. Chamling asserted that possible voting machine manipulation was the reason behind the Sikkim Democratic Party’s defeat.
Chamling drew a contrast with other nations, pointing out that Japan chose paper ballots over electronic voting machines because of doubts about their dependability. He also brought out the persistent mistrust of EVMs in nations like India and Russia. “There are many experts and scientists in India who claim that voting machines can be hacked or tampered with,” he stated. Chamling urged the Indian Election Commission to look into the claims in detail and confirm that the election process was legitimate.