India Assembly Polls: Congress cries foul after EVM malfunctions

Around 3.25 percent of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines attached to EVMs used in polling during assembly elections in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh were hit by malfunction and needed to be changed on Wednesday, prompting opposition Congress party to cry foul.

Chief Election Officer of the state V Kantha Rao told the media that 2,126 VVPAT machines, 881 control units and 883 ballot units had to be replaced due to malfunctioning. 

The malfunctioning of the VVPATs that disrupted the polling for about three hours drew concern from senior Congress leaders of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia. They demanded fresh polling in all booths where EVMs did not function properly.

Scindia wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat complaining about faulty EVMs and delayed voting.

“The rate at which EVMs are malfunctioning is alarming. Several voters are de-motivated when they experience incomplete arrangements and may lose faith in this exercise if they come across allegations of tampering with EVMs,” the letter said.

It said most of the complaints about EVMs malfunctioning came from rural areas where voters do not have adequate awareness about how to seek redressal.

What the Congress is concerned about is that the EVMs malfunctioned in an election which is seen to be a closely-fought one between ruling BJP and Congress and drew a high turnout of over 73 percent, a record for Madhya Pradesh in the assembly polls.  

Both BJP, which has been ruling the state for 15 years having won three successive elections, and Congress have claimed that the high turnout of voters would go in their favour.