Daijiworld Media Network - Solapur
Solapur, Feb 9: Two electronic voting machines (EVMs) were found in a car near a roadside eatery in Maharashtra’s Solapur district late Saturday night, triggering political allegations and concerns over transparency, even as the State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday clarified that the machines were reserve units and that the sanctity of the polling process remained intact.
Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads, including Solapur, and 125 Panchayat Samitis across the state were held on Saturday. The incident came to light around midnight when the two EVMs were found in a vehicle hired for an official on election duty near Hotel Swarajya in Mohol town. Following reports of the discovery, some political parties alleged possible tampering, while an NCP candidate demanded a detailed probe.
After being alerted, the election returning officer, tehsildar and police personnel rushed to the spot. An official said a preliminary inquiry revealed that the machines were reserve EVMs and had not been used for voting. Both machines were found to be in sealed condition. He added that all EVMs actually used during polling had been deposited in the strong room by 10.30 pm on Saturday.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission said strict action would be taken against those responsible for failing to deposit the reserve EVMs on time in Mohol. However, it categorically stated that no irregularity or malpractice occurred during the polling process as the machines in question were not used for voting.
According to information provided by the Solapur district collector and the Mohol election returning officer, polling was conducted peacefully on February 7 from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm at all 220 polling stations in the taluka. The SEC said confusion arose after some reserve voting machines were not immediately deposited in the strong room after polling.
“The incident involved two control units and two ballot units assigned as reserve machines to certain polling stations in the Kurul (55) group,” the SEC said in a statement. It added that concerns were raised after reports emerged that the machines had been taken to a private location. Following this, officials and police inspected the vehicle and prepared a panchnama in the presence of all concerned.
The SEC said the inspection confirmed that the machines were reserve units, after which they were sealed and deposited in the government strong room.