EC Orders Repoll, Suspends Officers After EVMs Found In BJP Candidate’s Car

Guwahati: Taking cognizance of a video which allegedly showed electronic voting machines (EVMs) in a BJP candidate’s car, the Election Commission (EC) ordered repolling in polling booth No. 179 of Ratabari constituency in Assam.

Four officers have reportedly been suspended.

Hours after second phase of polling in the Assam assembly elections ended on Thursday, journalist Atanu Bhuyan tweeted a video which showed EVMs inside a white SUV. He wrote “situation is tense in Patharkandi”.

BJP’s Krishnendu Paul is one of the candidates from the said constituency, situated in Karimganj district.

The Congress wasted no time in raking up the issue, with Priyanka Gandhi saying that said the Election Commission should act decisively on such complaints and that a serious re-evaluation of the use of EVMs needs to be done by all national parties.

“Every time there is an election video of private vehicles caught transporting EVM’s show up. Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common: 1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates. 2. The videos are taken as one off incidents and dismissed as aberrations. 3. The BJP uses its media machinery to accuse those who exposed the videos as sore losers,” Priyanka tweeted.

“The fact is that too many such incidents are being reported and nothing is being done about them. The EC needs to start acting decisively on these complaints and a serious re-evaluation of the use of EVM’s needs to be carried out by all national parties,” Priyanka added.