E-Paper
Congress to form technical team to investigate EVM complaints in Haryana
The Congress has called for an investigation into ‘discrepancies’ found in electronic voting machines during the Haryana assembly elections.
The Congress party on Thursday decided to set up a technical team to investigate the complaints and alleged discrepancies related to electronic voting machines (EVMs) raised by its candidates in Haryana.
The decision was made after the party convened a meeting in Delhi to discuss the results of the Haryana elections, in which it faced a setback, winning only 37 seats.
Earlier, the Congress party on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation into the “discrepancies” found in several electronic voting machines during the counting of votes for the Haryana assembly elections.
The party leaders urged that these EVMs be sealed and secured until the inquiry is completed. A delegation of senior leaders including former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot, as well as AICC members KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera along with Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan met with top officials from the Election Commission to discuss the matter.
The delegation submitted a memorandum to the officials, detailing specific complaints from various constituencies in Haryana. Senior party leader Abhishek Singhvi participated in the meeting online.
Congress leaders claimed there were at least 20 complaints, including seven formal written grievances from different assembly constituencies.
Many of these complaints pointed out that some EVMs allegedly operated at 99 percent battery capacity, while the average EVMs functioned at only 60 to 70 percent during the counting process.
The party emphasised “glaring discrepancies” concerning certain EVMs in the Haryana elections and called on the Election Commission to investigate the matter.
In its memorandum to the poll panel, the party mentioned that the counting of votes must be conducted in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner.
This, they argued, is essential for any electoral process that aspires to uphold the principles of free and fair elections and the doctrine of a level playing field as outlined in the Constitution.
