104 candidates apply to EC for vote verification, most applications from Pune

In Mumbai, 104 defeated candidates have applied for EVM verification amid manipulation claims, paying over ₹3 crore for checks at 755 booths.

MUMBAI: Amid the charges of EVM manipulation levelled by the Opposition at the Mahayuti alliance, as many as 104 defeated candidates from 95 assembly constituencies have applied to the Election Commission (EC) for verification of the burnt memory of the ballot units, control units and VVPAT units of EVMs. This enables candidates to ascertain whether the number of votes polled and votes counted were the same.

104 candidates apply to EC for vote verification, most applications from Pune

Among the applicants are senior opposition leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Arif Naseem Khan, Manikrao Thakre and Shraddha Jadhav. Candidates are entitled to apply for verification at up to 5% of the polling booths in their constituencies by paying ₹40,000 per booth as charges. Thorat, Khan, Thakre and Jadhav have paid over ₹3.02 crore to the state exchequer as deposit towards the verification fee.

The EC has received 104 applications from 31 districts for verification at 755 booths. There are no applications from Sindhudurg, Nandurbar, Amravati, Wardha and Gadchiroli districts.

“The candidates that stood second and third in the results can ask for verification at up to 5% of booths in their constituency,” said Kiran Kulkarni, additional chief electoral officer of Maharashtra. “The verification process is undertaken in constituencies where there is no court petition related to the elections pending. We have received applications for verification, or mock poll as it is also known, at 755 booths, which is a little over half a percent of the total 1,00,486 booths in the state.”

Another officer told HT that some of the applicants had expressed a desire to withdraw their applications and be refunded their deposit amount. The applications are made within seven days of the declaration of the results, and the withdrawal of the applications can be done three days prior to the mock poll. The verification is conducted after 45 days of the election, as that is the time period given to file an election-related petition in court.

The highest applications received by the EC are from Pune, where the applicants have demanded verification in 137 booths. In Mumbai, applications have been received for verification of EVMs and VVPATs at 64 polling booths. The Congress’ Chandivali candidate Arif Naseem Khan has demanded verification at 20 booths, while Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Kurla Pravina Morajkar has demanded verification of 10 EVMs-VVPATs.