No major issues with EVMs in second phase, says EC

Amid complaints of glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in several states, the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday said the overall performance of EVMs was satisfactory with only 0.37 per cent of ballot units being replaced across the 95 constituencies where voting took place during the second phase.

In over 1.8 lakh polling stations, only around 1,000 ballot units, 769 control units and 2,766 VVPAT machines had to be replaced, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain told the media.

"That is 0.37 per cent ballot units, 0.40 per cent control units and 1.45 per cent VVPAT (voter verified paper audit trail) machines," he said.

Jain added that one must consider that VVPATs have to be replaced in all those EVMs where control unit or ballot unit is replaced.

Polling in the second phase of seven-phase elections was reportedly peaceful barring stray incidents of violence and complaints of glitches in EVMs coming from some states, briefly halting the electoral process.

--IANS

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