Cong claims EVMs in Kalahandi were tampered; approaches EC

Alleging tampering of EVMs in the Kalahandi parliamentary constituency in Odisha during the Lok Sabha polls, Congress today approached the Election Commission demanding a high level investigation to maintain "purity" and "credibility" of the election process.
The move came after EC allegedly did not take any action on a complaint lodged by former Lok Sabha MP Bhakta Charan Das with the poll body on March 5 in which he had alleged tampering and manipulation of the EVMs in the constituency from where he had lost the Lok Sabha polls.
"It seems no attention was given to the letter by Das in which he had categorically pointed out the calculated mischief to defeat him by using old EVMs.

"...The commission may nominate a high power team of officials including technicians to investigate the matter and provide print result of EVMs of 386 polling stations in the presence of all the candidates," secretary of AICC legal department K C Mittal said in a letter to the commission.
He said that Das' allegations have been backed by evidence where EVMs at 46 polling stations had to be replaced by the orders of the respective presiding officers during mock poll because of malfunctioning.
According to the complaint, when 'hand' symbol button (Congress) was pressed, light appeared for BJD, registering the vote for a party to whom it was not cast.

In his letter to the EC, Mittal has also alleged that EVMs used in municipal elections were utilised in the Kalahandi constituency with an intention to "manipulate".