Robust may have been its defence of Electronic Voting Machines, authoritative was its challenging anyone to prove that the devices could be tampered with, and bold was its declaration that only losers were crying “foul”.

Yet deep down somewhere the Election Commission was “hurting”, and acknowledged the validity of the apex court’s call to authenticate those machines with a “paper-trail” back-up. For even as the controversy was simmering, Nirvachan Sadan renewed its plea to the government to expedite the provision of funds needed to upgrade the system.

Non-BJP participants in upcoming municipal polls in the capital are likely to use the EC’s letter of 22 March to fuel their demand for an old-fashioned paper ballot in the elections due on Sunday.

Conversely, the Centre may further delay the funds lest that appear to “justify” the allegation that the BJP’s unexpectedly onesided win in UP last month as facilitated by “doctored” EVMs. The chorus of lament was that “press any button you want ~ a BJP vote will be registered.”

Obviously that was a highly exaggerated charge, but who can ignore the old saying about “there being no smoke without fire”. That a number of parties referred to suspicions over EVMs in the memorandum of concerns they submitted to the President confirms that the EC is aware that a question of credibility has now arisen.

Once-hailed as an effective “counter” to electoral fraud, the EVMs have come under a cloud: a cloud thickened by the government’s not loosening the purse-strings. Maybe there will be no loss of false prestige if the finances are sanctioned after the municipal polls in the capital ~ the most fiercely contested in recent times with the BJP and AAP desperate to prove their strength and the Congress nursing hopes of a resurgence.

It is more than a matter of the estimated Rs.3,174 crore required to put in place the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit mechanism before the next general election, for which some 15.5 lakh state-of-the-art EVMs would be required.

Ideally, the orders should have been placed in February for them to be produced well ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls. Whether the most recent “reminder”, the 11th, will suffice for remedial action to be taken is a matter to be monitored.

It is significant that in its missive to the law ministry the Commission has underscored that, “it is felt that the process of procurement of VVPATs cannot be delayed any longer given the prevailing environment”.

The ruling party perceives the environment very differently, the Prime Minister has just iterated the “sour grapes” jibe against the Opposition, but does that mean denying the people ~ more than the EC ~ a trustworthy means of giving unto themselves the representation to which they are Constitutionally entitled?