Samajwadi Party (SP) workers on Tuesday evening staged a demonstration and stopped a vehicle carrying EVMs from Pahadia Mandi to UP College here on suspicion of foul play.
Pahadia Mandi is the place where EVMs used in the just-concluded elections are stored in a strong room.
The administration, however, said the EVMs were being taken “for hands-on training (on Wednesday) to employees on election duty on counting day (March 10).”
Samajwadi Party leader Pradeep Jaiswal said his party workers caught EVMs loaded in a vehicle near the strong room in Pahadia Mandi. “We suspect that there has been some irregularity,” alleged Jaiswal.
He said the administration should have informed them in advance that the EVMs, stored in a separate godown, would be taken for training of employees. “My question is that why the SP leaders were not informed about it,” he asked.
District magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma said the EVMs were being taken for training in a vehicle to UP College from the store in a separate godown in Pahadia Mandi.
“After stopping the vehicle, some political people had spread a rumour that the EVMs were the ones used in the elections. The machines (which were being taken in a vehicle) are always used for hands-on training. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the second session of training of employees engaged in counting duty and these machines were being taken for training.”
{{/usCountry}}“After stopping the vehicle, some political people had spread a rumour that the EVMs were the ones used in the elections. The machines (which were being taken in a vehicle) are always used for hands-on training. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the second session of training of employees engaged in counting duty and these machines were being taken for training.”
{{/usCountry}}Sharma said, “The EVMs, which were used in the elections, are sealed in the strong room that is under CRPF security. There is CCTV surveillance and all activity there is being watched by workers of all political parties.”
The DM interacted with the demonstrating SP leaders and clarified the matter to them.
Meanwhile in Sonbhadra, SP workers staged a demonstration when a vehicle and a trailer laden with ballot papers and a ballot box reached the counting centre premises in Ghoraval area of the district. They accused the administration of changing the postal ballots and ‘rigging’.
Terming the allegations baseless, Ghoraval’s sub-divisional magistrate Ramesh Kumar said the strong room has been shown to the candidates. “There has been no irregularity,” he said. He said the vehicle only had some stationery related to elections.
The strong room of Ghorawal assembly constituency was built in Polytechnic College there. After polling, the EVMs were stored late in the night and the rooms were sealed. Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, a vehicle was seen on way to Polytechnic College.
SP district president Vijay Yadav said both the ballot box and ballot papers were inside the vehicle and ballot papers, in many sacks, were also loaded on the trailer behind.
After demonstration started, the SDM reached the spot and tried to pacify the SP men but to no avail. After this, other candidates were also called and the seal of the strong room was shown to them.
Even after this, the protest of the SP workers continued.
According to Yadav, the SDM said the driver of the vehicle took it there by mistake with the ballot box and ballot papers.