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Poll staff carried EVMs unguarded, allege Congress, MNS, VBA candidates
VBA candidate Sundar Padmukh, however, demanded that counting for Vile Parle constituency should not take place until the matter is investigated to check if there was any tampering of EVMs.
Polling station officials carried electronic voting machines (EVMs) to the returning officer’s office without any security or vehicle on Monday night, three candidates from the Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) from Vile Parle constituency alleged in their complaint to the Election Commission (EC). They have demanded an EC probe into the matter.
Sarjerao Sonawane, returning officer from Vile Parle, said the polling officials had gone to his office in a bus with police security. “They were my men [polling staff], and they had come in a bus with police security. They had to walk a short distance as the bus couldn’t pass via the subway at western express highway leading to Airport Colony,” Sonawane said, adding he has sought a report from the local police station and asked them to investigate the matter.
“There was proper security, but now in the pictures which are shown to us, police officers are not visible. The police personnel were behind the polling staff. I have directed the police to provide CCTV footage [of the spot], and I would like to assure [you] that all process was followed,” the officer said.
VBA candidate Sundar Padmukh, however, demanded that counting for Vile Parle constituency should not take place until the matter is investigated to check if there was any tampering of EVMs.
The counting for all 288 seats in Maharashtra will take place on Thursday.
“If they were the polling staff, why did they walk without any security or not use any vehicle arranged by the EC? They should have used the other gate from where vehicles could enter inside,” Padmukh said, adding, “The incident should be investigated, and until the investigation is completed, the counting process for Vile Parle constituency should not be carried out.”
Both Congress candidate Jayanti Siroya and MNS’s Juilee Shende said they have written to the EC about the matter. Shende said, “I haven’t demanded that the counting be put on hold, but I will wait till the police investigate the matter.”
Siroya said, “I have demanded a proper investigation.”
Vile Parle constituency has around 2.61 lakh voters, of which 1 lakh are from the Maharashtrian and Gujarati communities.
The constituency’s sitting MLA Parag Alavani has been renominated for the Assembly polls by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The Congress is creating an atmosphere where they get to blame the EVMs for their loss. So , when they lose on Thursday, they will not accept the results, saying it was because of the EVMs,” said Alavani.
