Maharashtra Lok Sabha bypolls : Voting delayed due to EVM issues

Polling to four Lok Sabha seats, two in Maharashtra is currently underway.

Hundreds of voters were patiently waiting in the scorching heat while the work on replacing the voting machines was being carried out.

At least 35 electronic voting machines (EVMs) reported technical problems, which have delayed polling. After polling started, technical issues were reported in around 20 EVMs in Palghar and 15 machines in Bhandara-Gondia.

98 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines across polling booths in Palghar, Dahanu, Boisar, Nalasopara and Vasai malfunctioned. The VVPAT is an independent verification system for voting machines that allow voters to check if their vote was cast correctly.

Dr Prashant Narnaware, collector Palghar district, and returning officer for the by-election said,“Majority of the issues have been reported from Nalasopara.”

Umesh Birari, deputy collector of Palghar said, “VVPAT machines are extremely sensitive to dust and light. These issues were anticipated. We have 96 engineers spread out across the constituency who are helping us and replacing the machines. We have kept 15% reserves for VVPAT.” He also said, “We have informed the Election Commission, and will take a review at 3 pm on extending voting timings. We will make sure that nobody goes back without voting.”

Image Source – India.com