New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe into "discrepancies" found in some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes of the Haryana assembly polls and demanded that such EVMs should be sealed and secured pending the inquiry.
A delegation of top Congress leaders comprising former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot and AICC leaders K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera, besides Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, met with top Election Commission officials here. The delegation handed over a memorandum to the officials along with specific complaints from various constituencies in Haryana. Senior party leader Abhishek Singhvi joined the meeting online.
The Congress leaders alleged that there are at least 20 such complaints, including seven in writing from as many assembly constituencies, with many referring to EVMs functioning at 99 per cent battery capacity whereas the average EVMs were found to be operating at 60 to 70 per cent battery capacity during the counting.
The party alleged "glaring discrepancies" related to some of the EVMs in the Haryana polls and urged the EC to conduct a probe. "There are doubts about vote counting as the Haryana results are surprising. Everyone believed that the Congress would be forming the next government in Haryana. When the counting of postal ballots took place, the Congress was winning, but when the counting of EVMs started, the opposite happened," former chief minister Hooda told reporters after the meeting.
He said the Congress will submit more complaints to the EC in the next few days. "The EC has assured us of looking into the matter," Hooda said after meeting the CEC and other election commissioners. Bhan also said that doubts have been raised about the veracity of the counting exercise in Haryana and these should be cleared by the EC.
Khera said party leaders Maken and Singhvi urged the EC to conduct a thorough probe, pending which it should ensure that the EVMs with discrepancies are sealed and secured.
"We apprised the Election Commission about 20 complaints that have come to us, including seven written complaints from seven constituencies with some EVM machines functioning at 99 per cent battery capacity, while other EVM machines were functioning below 60-70 per cent battery capacity," he said.
"Maken and Singhvi have demanded that the EVMs for which the complaints have been made be sealed and secured till the inquiry into the whole matter is completed. We also told the EC that in the next 48 hours, we will make available to them other complaints that are being compiled. "The EC has told us that they will give us a written reply on all constituencies after consulting the respective returning officers," Khera added.
Bhan said, "We have informed the Election Commission about all the complaints. Chief Minister Nayab Saini himself had said that we have completed all the arrangements and we will form the government. Therefore, the batteries of EVMs with 99 per cent charge used in the elections have become a cause of suspicion."
"We had asked the returning officers in many assembly constituencies to match the VVPAT slips, which was not done. The Election Commission should put this matter before the public so that the truth can be revealed," he said.
In its memorandum submitted to the poll watchdog, the party said counting of votes in a fair, transparent and accountable manner is the hallmark of any electoral process that claims to be in consonance with the principles of free and fair elections and the doctrine of the level-playing field as envisaged by the Constitution.
"Considering that the said issue could potentially alter the results for some Assembly constituencies, we request that this Hon'ble Commission take urgent measures and order for an enquiry on this issue. In fact, subject to the enquiry report, the Hon'ble Commission should issue requisite directions regarding the counting of polls and final results," it said.
As per the Congress candidates, some EVMs used for counting on October 8 were operating at 99 per cent battery capacity, while other EVMs were operating at 60-70 per cent battery capacity, the party said in its memorandum. "In fact, in some cases, this discrepancy was discovered in EVMs used in the same polling station. Immediately upon discovery, the Congress candidates raised this issue before the returning officers concerned. However, in the majority of the places, there was no response received in this regard," the party said.
The inconsistencies reported on a significant number of seats and the lack of explanation or response from the respective electoral officers raise a genuine apprehension, it added. The party listed Karnal, Dabwali, Rewadi, Panipat City, Hodal (SC), Kalka and Narnaul, wherein similar inconsistencies were reported by the contesting candidate.
"We have also received complaints from some constituencies where the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate was being provided support by the returning officer and other election officials," the memorandum said.
"It is submitted that such grave instances of electoral malpractice must also be duly investigated and acted upon by this Commission," it said.
