New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has removed three officials from election duty in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, a day after the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of “stealing votes” and claimed that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were being shifted in an unauthorised manner.
With votes polled in Uttar Pradesh – and four other states – set to be counted on Thursday, March 10, the EC has removed the nodal officer for EVMs in Varanasi, a returning officer (RO) in Sonbhadra district and an additional election officer in Bareilly district from election duties.
According to news agency PTI, Varanasi district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said additional DM Nalini Kant Singh has been removed from the election duty for negligence in EVM transportation. She has also been barred from going to the counting spot. The new nodal officer for EVMs is ADM (finance and revenue) Sanjay Kumar.
Additional election officer V.K. Singh was removed from the election process in Bareilly. Ballot boxes and other election items were found inside a garbage collection bin of the local municipality in the Baheri area.
In Sonbhadra district, Ghorawal returning officer Ramesh Kumar was removed from the election duty as ballot papers were recovered from a box inside his vehicle.
Varanasi DM Sharma said all EVMs were checked late in the night in the presence of election observers and candidates after the ruckus over the alleged replacement of EVMs on Tuesday. Sharma said all control units, ballot units and VVPATs were checked.
In a separate development, the Election Commission also deputed special officers to supervise the counting of votes in Meerut and Varanasi on Wednesday. The chief electoral officer (CEO) of Delhi has been sent as a special officer to oversee the counting process in Meerut and Bihar’s CEO has been sent to Varanasi.
PTI also reported that two FIRs were registered in Varanasi against “300 unknown people” for violence and hooliganism while protesting the transportation of EVMs on Tuesday. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had on Tuesday alleged “stealing of votes” in three places.
The party had uploaded a video to its Twitter handle, in which an official admitted that the required protocol was not followed in the transportation of the EVMs on Tuesday. The officer, however, ruled out any possibility of EVM tampering.
EVM मूवमेंट में चुनाव आयोग के प्रोटोकॉल का पालन नहीं किया गया- कमिश्नर वाराणसी
कई जिलों में ईवीएम में हेरा-फेरी की जानकारी प्राप्त हो रही है। ये किसके इशारे पर हो रहा है? क्या अधिकारियों पर सीएम ऑफिस से दबाव बनाया जा रहा है?
चुनाव आयोग कृपया स्पष्ट करे @ECISVEEP @ceoup pic.twitter.com/D71xr8h8Tu
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) March 9, 2022
Alleging that EVMs were being tampered with, the SP workers have increased their vigilance outside the strongrooms where the voting machines have been kept.
Reports from districts suggested SP workers checking vehicles of government officials near the strongrooms in Karhal, Badaun, Ballia and Sultanpur.
The Samajwadi Party has asked the Election Commission to webcast the counting of votes so that political parties could watch the proceedings live.
The BJP petitioned the Election Commission demanding action against Yadav for allegedly trying to “incite anti-social elements” over the electoral process.
At a press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday, Yadav had alleged that senior government officials in the state capital were directing their subordinates in the districts to slow down the counting of votes and prolong the process till late night in constituencies where the chances of the BJP candidates winning were slim.
“Spreading lies and inciting citizens is a serious and grave offence and Akhilesh Yadav and his cohorts must be held accountable and be charged under relevant provisions of the election code and the Indian Penal Code,” the BJP leaders said.
Samajwadi Party workers stop a convoy shifting EVMs and stage a protest over the alleged replacement of EVMs used in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, in Varanasi, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Photo: PTI
EC sends special officers to Meerut, Varanasi
The Election Commission deputed Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh to Meerut and Bihar CEO H.R. Srinivas to Varanasi to supervise the counting arrangements. Altogether, 671 counting observers, 130 police observers and 10 special observers will be on the ground to ensure the counting process is smooth, the Commission said.
In the past also, electoral officers from different states have been deployed as special observers or special officers keeping in mind the sensitivities, EC secretary-general Umesh Sinha told reporters.
The SP has alleged that EVMs were transported without the knowledge of political parties in Varanasi on Tuesday. Earlier, there were allegations of violation of protocol during polling in Meerut.
The poll panel officials have already rejected the allegations that EVMs used for voting in just-concluded polls were moved out.
“There have been some rumours related to EVMs etc., which are totally unrelated to polled EVMs and in each case of slightest breach of protocol, swift action has been taken by the Commission against the officers concerned.
“No person should indulge in any rumour-mongering or spreading wrongful information. The Commission has directed CEOs and district administration to take strictest legal action against such mongers and mischief,” the EC said in a statement.
Counting of votes will be taken up for postal ballots at 8 am on Thursday and will continue till its completion. After a gap of 30 minutes from the commencement of counting of postal ballot papers, counting of votes for EVM will commence at 8.30 am.
In case the margin of victory is less than the number of postal ballot papers rejected as invalid at the time of counting, all the rejected postal ballot papers will be mandatorily re-verified by the RO before the result is declared.
(With PTI inputs)