Parties say EVMs, VVPATs malfunctioned; EC says reports exaggerated

Opposition parties and the ruling BJP today moved the Election Commission claiming "hundreds" of EVMs and paper trail machines deployed for Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly bypolls developed snags and were not replaced for hours.

But the Election Commission termed as "exaggerated projection of reality" reports of 'large scale' failure of EVMs during Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and said adequate number of reserve machines are provided for any eventuality.

Sources in the poll panel did say that inapt handling of VVPAT machines by the ground staff, especially when the temperature is high, could have to led to their heating, which results malfunctioning.

SP leader Ramgopal Yadav and RLD chief Ajit Singh along with others met top EC officials claiming that the faulty EVMs were not replaced in time.

The leaders demanded that repoll should be announced in polling stations where EVMs were not replaced for over one-and-a-half hours.

At polling stations where EVMs were replaced within one-and-a-half hours, additional time should be granted to voters to exercise their franchise, they told reporters after meeting the EC.

They alleged that poll officials "took their own time" in replacing EVMs in rural areas, the base of their voters. The EVMs were, however replaced with alacrity in urban areas.

A BJP delegation, including general secretaries Bhupender Yadav and Arun Singh besides its media head Anil Baluni, informed the Election Commission that EVM machines were dysfunctional for a long period in 197 booths in Kairana and Noorpur.

Yadav told reporters that they urged the EC to hold re-polling in booths were election process was severely affected.

They asked the EC to send observers to identify such booths and also to find out reasons for EVM malfunction.

Concerns were also raised about the functioning of paper trail (VVPAT) machines. Sources in the EC noted that failure on part of the ground staff led to heating of the machines.

An official said those who skipped training programmes and "spent time on their phones during training sessions" placed the machines at places where 'heat sensitive' nature of the device created problems.

A poll panel spokesperson later said a joint delegation of the RLD, SP and Congress and a separate delegation of BJP representatives met the EC and brought to its notice concerns about functioning of VVPAT machines in some of the polling booths in bypolls today.

"The Commission assured them that all necessary action will be taken on issues raised. They were also assured that the concerns related to VVPAT have been verified on ground and appropriate actions have been taken by the District Election teams. The Commission has also informed that on the basis of reports of RO, DEO and Observers, further action will be taken."