Covering candidate buttons with glue, ink, perfume to fall under EVM tampering: ECI sources

The Election Commission has asked officers to ensure that the candidate buttons are clearly visible and not covered with tape, glue or any other material.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued several directives to presiding officers at polling booths, particularly linked to tampering with the candidate buttons, sources in the poll panel said.

Birbhum: Officials stack Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. (PTI)

The poll panel has asked officers to ensure that the candidate buttons are clearly visible and not covered with tape, glue or any other material. The ECI has also said that chemicals, including colour, ink or perfume cannot be used on the buttons to reveal the secrecy of the votes, adding that such incidents can be considered as EVM tampering.

Presiding officers have been asked to immediately report such incidents at polling booths to the respective returning officers. “All such cases are likely to fall under Tampering/Interfering with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), which is an electoral offence,” ECI told officers, according sources inside the poll panel.

The election body has also warned that it won't refrain from taking actions, including ordering of re-polling at booths if such cases are reported.

Elections in Bengal, Tamil Nadu

The ECI directive comes just days before West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are set to go to polls. Both the states will hold Assembly elections on Thursday, April 23, with Bengal set to hold another phase on April 29.

Kerala, Puducherry and Assam already saw Assembly elections earlier this month. Results of elections to all the states would be announced on May 4.

Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's directives

As campaigning for state Assembly elections comes to a close, West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer has issued directives to functionaries, party workers, and supporters who don't belong to a particular constituency to leave.

“All political functionaries, party workers, and supporters who are not electors of the concerned constituency and who have been brought from outside shall leave the constituency immediately upon closure of the campaign period (ie, 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll),” the Tuesday order read, according to an ANI report.

“Any laxity, misconduct, partisanship or failure on the part of any officer will be viewed seriously and will invite strict action as per law and the gravity of the lapse,” the order further said.