MCD polls: SEC receives 9 complaints of glitches in EVMs

Nine complaints of glitches in Electronic Voting Machines were received by the State Election Commission during the MCD polls today, causing hardships to electors who braved the scorching heat to cast their vote.
"Glitches in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from nine polling stations. They were replaced and voting resumed," State Election Commissioner S K Srivastava said.
Out of the nine complaints, five were received from north Delhi, three from south Delhi and one from east Delhi, he added.
Srivastava told PTI that the EVM issue had made a lot of headlines before the polls to the city's three municipal corporations, but out of around 13,000 polling stations, glitches were found in only nine EVMs.

"It speaks for itself," he said, adding that the machines have done well.
Former Delhi minister and BJP leader Arvind Singh Lovely was among those who could not cast their vote early in the morning due to the glitches in the EVM at a polling booth in East Azad Nagar area.

"I reached the polling station at 8AM. But, I could not cast my vote as the EVM was not working. I had to leave the place due to some urgent work. I will later go to exercise my franchise," said Lovely.
Voting at some polling stations in North Delhi's Burari area and South West Delhi's Kapashera areas had to be stopped for a few minutes after complaints of malfunctioning of the EVMs were reported from there.

"There were few complaints of the malfunctioning of the EVMs at Burari and Kapashera, which were rectified," an official source said.
Apart from it, at GTB ward, voters had to face problems as some EVMs were not functioning properly.
The voting for the MCD elections started at 8 AM, in around 13,000 polling stations across the city, amid ample security arrangements.
Out of the 13,022 polling stations, police had declared 3,284 as "sensitive" while 1,464 as "hyper-sensitive".
For the first time in the MCD elections, "None Of The Above (NOTA)" option was made available to the voters.
Out of the total 1,32,10,206 electors, 1.1 lakh were first time voters.

The voting to the 270 wards of the three civic bodies - NDMC (103 wards), SDMC (104) and EDMC (63) - concluded at 5.30 PM. Counting of votes will be held on April 26.