Political Analyst Tehseen Poonawalla Raises Concerns Over Viral EVM Video

By A Staff Reporter

Amid controversies surrounding a viral video related to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla has called on the Election Commission to address public concerns and take legal action against Syed Shuja, a self-proclaimed hacker.

“There are so many questions related to EVMs, and the Election Commission should reply to this,” Poonawalla said, stressing the need for clarity and transparency.

Poonawalla shared his past interaction with Shuja, recounting that Shuja had contacted him in 2017 during the Election Commission’s hackathon challenge. “He had told me that he could hack EVMs...he claimed he worked for the Election Commission and even designed the 2014 EVMs,” Poonawalla stated. However, he dismissed these claims as baseless when Shuja failed to provide proof.

“He said that everyone who worked with him had been killed, and he was asking for Rs 50-60 crore. I thought he was mentally disturbed,” Poonawalla revealed, adding that Shuja’s recent video raised alarms about potential conspiracies.

Poonawalla emphasized that while Indian EVMs are considered secure and immune to external hacking devices, Shuja’s statements and behavior suggest a more significant issue. “Now when I saw his video, I understood that this man is very dangerous...he is conspiring something,” he said.

Urging decisive action, Poonawalla requested the Election Commission to file a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Shuja, stating that such allegations could undermine public trust in India’s electoral process.