The Hindu: Mumbai: Sunday,
23 July 2017.
A
malfunctioning EVM had compelled the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold
fresh elections at a centre in Sultanpur during the February 2017 polls to the
Buldhana zilla parishad, contradicting the claims of the Election Commission
(EC).
Data
obtained under the RTI Act by activist Anil Galgali revealed that officials
deputed to the polling centre number 57/6 were informed around 10 a.m. that a
voter had a complaint.
The
report filed to the Collector and in turn to the SEC on February 16, said, “The
voter informed the officials that despite having pressed the first voting
option (button number 1), the corresponding LED light, instead of flashing
against the ‘coconut’ (symbol of independent candidate Ashatai Arun Zore), lit
up for the BJP candidate listed at number 4 on the machine.”
While
poll officials dismissed the complaint, the second identical complaint was
registered at around 1.30 p.m.
“The
EC had recently thrown a challenge to hack the EVM. But the Buldhana incident
showed how voting for their choice of ‘coconut’ resulted in the BJP’s lotus
coming into bloom,” said Mr. Galgali.
The
report, filed by Manikrao Bazad and Ramnarayan Sawant (the officials who
verified the complaint before sealing the EVM), said, “With consent of poll
officials, the party, and the candidate representatives, the electoral officer
was apprised of the matter.” Polling officials assuaged Ms. Zore, who alleged
that three voters had complained to her about the identical glitch causing her
voters to be diverted to other candidates.
According
to the report, based on which the SEC nullified the voting and rescheduled it
for February 21, 2017, “The voters listed between 324 and 332 were observed and
the EVM performed perfectly, with none of them complaining of any vote
diversion against their choice. But when the voter listed at 333 exercised
their franchise for the ‘coconut’, once again the LED of the lotus lit up.”
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