Cong’s EVM remarks undemocratic rejection of people’s will, says EC

Meanwhile, a Congress delegation met the EC later in the evening and demanded a probe. The delegation, which included AICC leaders K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state party president Udai Bhan and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, submitted a memorandum, along with written complaints from seven constituencies.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Khera, who heads the party’s media and publicity department, said: “We have informed the EC about 20 complaints. Of these, seven written complaints were from the constituencies, especially about the EVMs showing 99 per cent battery. The rest of the machines were showing 60-70 per cent batteries… We have demanded that the machines which we have complained about should be sealed and secured till the probe is completed.”

On Tuesday, Khera had claimed that the BJP won on EVMs with 99 per cent battery, while the Congress won on EVMs with 60-70 per cent battery, and this could not be a coincidence. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, had said the Haryana results were “unexpected… we don’t accept them because this is a defeat of democracy and a win of the device”.

“We also told the EC that we will submit more complaints within the next 48 hours… The EC has assured that it will look into the complaints and will reply point-wise, after consulting its returning officers,” Khera said on Wednesday. “The seven constituencies from where written complaints have come along with documents are Karnal, Dabwali, Rewari, Panipat city, Hodal, Kalka and Narnaul,” he said.

The Congress said that according to its candidates, some EVMs “were operating at 99% battery capacity, while other EVMs were operating at 60-70% battery capacity… (and) in some cases, this discrepancy was discovered in EVMs used in the same polling station”. The party said its candidates had raised the issue before the returning officers, but there was no response. “The inconsistencies reported on significant number of seats and lack of explanation or response… raises a genuine apprehension,” it said.

State Congress chief Udai Bhan said it was a matter of transparency for the EC. “The EC should clarify… The returning officers did not match VVPAT slips in several constituencies… This is a big reason. We have asked that the VVPAT slips be matched so that the truth comes out,” he said.

Saying that the results were surprising, former CM Hooda said: “Everyone, including agencies, surveys and the media were expecting a Congress win. The Congress was leading when postal ballots were counted, but it fell behind when the EVMs were counted.”

Asked about the Congress’s next step, he said: “We have complained to the EC. After it responds, we will inform you what we will do.”

On Tuesday, sources in the poll panel had said the process of commissioning EVMs and close of polls is done in the presence of candidates and their agents. Two EC sources had said no candidate or their agents objected at the time of close of polls.

The life of a battery depends on how many mock polls have been conducted using it before a poll, but a battery can remain at 99% for an entire poll process, sources had said. According to sources, the batteries usually last for an entire election and counting process. However, battery usage depends on the number of votes cast, the number of times the total votes are checked by pressing the total button, and the duration of the mock poll. It is possible for a battery to discharge faster than another, sources had said.