Kerala govt orders probe into alleged EVM hacking scam targeting Assembly poll candidates

The Kerala government has initiated an investigation into allegations that political candidates were coerced into paying money in exchange for promises to "hack" Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. This decision came after Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan, MP, filed a complaint with the State police. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala instructed the cyber operations division to launch the probe following the MP's complaint during a press conference in Kasaragod.

The complaint alleges that a Congress leader approached candidates from the Kasaragod, Uduma, and Manjeswaram constituencies ahead of the elections. This individual reportedly claimed that "the BJP was planning to hack EVMs" and boasted of possessing "a special technology" to prevent this from happening and secure favorable election results. In return for this alleged expertise, the complainant allegedly demanded substantial sums of money from the candidates.

According to the complaint, candidates from the Kasaragod and Uduma constituencies complied with the demands, while the candidate from the Manjeswaram constituency declined to pay. Additionally, former Left Democratic Front candidate from Kasaragod, Shanavas Padur, has also made similar allegations. He stated that someone, using the name B.M. Jamal, a former Congress leader and former State Waqf Board CEO, approached him seeking payment after promising to manipulate EVMs in his favor.