Huge EVM snags on poll day: Naidu to CEC

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora here and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. Questioning the transfer of several officials ahead of voting, he alleged that the poll body "failed to live up to the spirit of constitutional duty" during elections in Andhra Pradesh which was "dangerous for the future of democracy in the country".

During the election in the state on April 11, voting was delayed by two to six hours at many polling stations as a large number of EVMs malfunctioned, forcing many voters to return home, the TDP chief claimed. The chief electoral officer of the state himself had trouble casting his vote because the EVMs were not working, he alleged.

The TDP requested the poll body to countermand polls at 618 polling stations where voting could not start even many hours after the scheduled commencement time. "Inadequate security arrangement at polling booths emboldened criminal elements that resulted in many law and order incidents, costing one man his life. Many polling stations were manned by just a home guard or a volunteer," he claimed.

Claiming that EVMs were not foolproof and there was a possibility of tampering, the TDP chief demanded that the EC should ensure counting of VVPAT slips in at least 50% of the polling stations so as to infuse confidence among the voters. "This will preserve the sanctity of the electoral process".