A video of EVMs being taken out of a strongroom in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and loaded on a truck has caused panic among Congress supporters in the area. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election from here with Union Minister Smriti Irani contesting opposite him as the BJP candidate.
In the viral video, which has been reported by Jagran newspaper, Amar Ujala, News18 and many other publications, a man is seen carrying EVMs from the strongroom to a truck, parked nearby. A man, who is being described as a Congress supporter, appears in front of the camera to term the activity hugely suspicious since the authorities had not informed the members of different parties for the movement of these EVMs.
The strongroom in question, according to media reports, is situated inside the Manishi girls’ school in Gauriganj area of Amethi.
Quoting the district president of the Congress, Yogendra Mishra, Hindi TV channel TV9 Bharatvarsh reported that the transportation of these EVMs were stopped due to prompt intervention by the Congress. One Congress leader alleged that he had made repeated attempts to contact the district officials but they did not respond to their complaints.
SDM Vandita Shrivastava, reported National Herald, later arrived at the girls’ school and claimed that a requisition had been received to send the machines to constituencies where polling is scheduled on May 12 in the sixth phase and where there is a shortage of machines.
Amethi went to polls on 6 May with the counting scheduled for 23 May.
