Maharashtra: Congress urges EC to ensure security of EVMs, vigilance at counting centres

Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to take the required steps for ensuring safety and security of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the larger interest of democracy.

"You are kindly requested to take the required steps for ensuring safety and security of EVM Machines in the larger interest of democracy," Deora said in a letter to the EC, showing concerns regarding the possibility of EVM tempering at various centers in Mumbai.

"After the Election being held on April 29, as the President of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, I have received very shocking feedback about the possibility of tampering with EVM machines, which are being stored at various counting centers presently. Our Congress workers those who are constantly looking after these centers from outside have informed us about suspicious movements of few persons or few vehicles around these centers," he said.

Urging the EC to increase vigilance and security at the counting centres, The Mumbai Congress president said: "On behalf of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee request your good self to kindly increase the vigilance, security etc at these counting centers, so that EVM machines should not get tempered in any manner whatsoever so that exact result should reflect on the day of counting to provide free and fair result."

He also requested EC to allow volunteers to remain there outside these centers for safeguarding along with the security forces deployed there.

This comes in the backdrop of a delegation of 21 opposition parties, scheduled to meet EC at 3 pm on Tuesday in the national capital, to press for their demand of tallying VVPAT slips with EVM figures in an entire Assembly constituency, in case a discrepancy is found in any polling booth.

N Chandrababu Naidu, Ahmed Patel of Congress, Sharad Pawar of NCP, Satish Chandra Misra of BSP, Sitaram Yechury of Communist Party of India (Marxist), D Raja of Communist Party of India (CPI) and Derek O'Brien of the TMC are expected to meet the EC.

Polling for seven-phased Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and concluded on May 19. The much-awaited results of the general elections will be announced on May 23.