The Election Commission of India has suspended one more official in connection with the case related to the discovery of EVM from a BJP candidate’s car. However, the national poll body categorically stated that there was no ‘deliberate or malafide intention’ behind the decision to transport the EVM in the BJP car.
The Election Commission said, “There is otherwise no deliberate or malafide intention in the incident aimed to disrupt the polling process.” The Election Commission said that there was no ground for a change of the Returning Officer ‘as this appears to be an isolated incident, due to the total negligence and foolishness of the Presiding Officer and his team.’
According to the Election Commission, ‘to ensure credibility and fairness, it is appropriate to order repoll in PS Number 149 Indira MV School of LAC 1 Ratabari.’
The top poll body was left red-faced on Thursday evening when a video of an EVM machine being found in a BJP candidate’s car from Assam went viral. This was after a journalist tweeted the video with a caption that read, “Situation tense after EVMs found in Patharkandi BJP candidate Krishnendu Paul’s car.”
In its earlier statement, the Election Commission had said that the local team had decided to hitch a hike in the BJP candidate’s car after their vehicle broke down. Four officials namely Presiding Officer Sahab Uddin Talukdar, First Polling Officer Sourav Acharjee, Second Polling Officer Abdul Mumit Choudhary and Third Polling officer Sahab Uddin Tapadar were suspended.
On Friday, another statement by the ECI read, “Thereafter, with the receipt of the said report from the Special General Observer, Armed Escort Officer Mr. Luhit Gohain, Sub-Inspector of Police ( Armed Branch) of 3rd Assam Police Battalion, Titabor has also been suspended. The Commission has directed a repoll at Polling Station 149- Indira M. V. School of Ratabari(SC) LAC.”
The controversy surrounding the discovery of the EVM from a BJP candidate’s car had evoked angry reactions from Congress leaders, asked the ECI to take decisive steps to instill voters’ confidence in the voting machine. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said, “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.”