Within few hours of the the first phase of Gujarat assembly polls, there have been complaints of over 100 EVMs malfunctioning. Some machines have already been replaced, said the Election Commission officials stationed at the affected polling booths.
70 of those machines were reported from Surat alone. Rest were reported to have malfunctioned across Saurashtra region, another BJP bastion, where the saffron party had won more than 40 seats in 2012.
Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti, however, played down the significance of EVMs malfunctioning. He told NDTV, “There are 24,000 polling booths in Gujarat. The problem has occurred in 7 or 8 booths. We have a number of EVMs in reserve. Concerned officials keeping continuous check.”
Opposition parties have been demanding the use of ballot papers casting their doubts on the reliability of the machines used in the Indian election process. Some have accused the BJP of directly benefiting from the tampered EVMs. Soon after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, both Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal had complained of potential tampering in the EVMs.
As the reports of faulty EVMs poured in, the demand to return to ballot papers gained momentum.
There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately
— Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) December 9, 2017
This scale of malfunctioning of EVM’s can’t be a coincidental EVM malfunction but is called EVM rigging https://t.co/ufgn8wOHET
— J Venkatesh (@jvsk3) December 9, 2017
Early EVM complaints in parts of Saurashtra; Saurashtra holds key to who wins #GujaratElection2017 . BJP swept the region in 2012 @IndiaToday tv
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) December 9, 2017
A united opposition needs to petition the SC or boycott all elections till the paper ballot is brought back! https://t.co/UoeOcTjofg
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) December 9, 2017
The second and the last phase of elections in Gujarat will take place on 14 December while the counting is scheduled to happen on 18 December.