MP: Congress moves EC over alarming incidents of alleged EVM tampering

Bhopal: Opposition parties of the state including Congress attacked the BJP government over alleged tampering in electronic voting machines. In a fresh incident in Madhya Pradesh, a strongroom in Bhopal faced a blackout on Friday. Congress party has raised concern of EVM-malfunctioning in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The poll body said in a statement “A report obtained from the Bhopal Collector states that CCTV cameras and an LED display installed outside the strongroom did not function from 8.19 am to 9.35 am on November 30 due to the failure of electricity supply. Because of this, the recording could not be done during the given time period. An additional LED screen, an inverter and a generator have been installed in order to ensure continuous electricity supply”.

In another incident, forty-eight hours after the closing of polls in the Khuria seat in Madhya Pradesh, a school bus bearing no number plate and carrying EVMs reached the Sagar district collector’s office. Congress has alleged corrupt practices to manipulate the outcome of the recently concluded election. According to the ECI, the machines were of the reserve category and were meant to be back-up. It added that the official responsible for delivering the reserve machines on time had been suspended.

In yet another incident that has raised suspicion over the fair nature of polls, a day before polling took place in MP, EVMs were found in a hotel allegedly belonging to a BJP supporter in Shajapur. However, the ECI claimed that no evidence of tampering was found and the machines were not used in polling.