NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar claimed in a post on X that incidents of EVMs shutting down were reported at the start of voting in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal areas
Election officials said the faulty machines were replaced immediately. Representational Pic/File
Sporadic technical issues were reported with a small number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the initial phase of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections on Thursday morning.
Election officials said the faulty machines were replaced immediately, allowing polling to continue smoothly, reported the PTI.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar claimed in a post on X that incidents of EVMs shutting down were reported at the start of voting in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal areas.
He also alleged that some machines showed a time lag of up to 15 minutes.
Raising concerns over the functioning of EVMs, Pawar said that in some polling booths, the indicator light blinked incorrectly after votes were cast, while in other cases the light did not blink despite all votes being recorded.
पुणे, पिंपरी-चिंचवडसह राज्यात अनेक ठिकाणी मतदानाची सुरवातच बंद मशीनने झाली, तर अनेक ठिकाणी EVM वरील वेळ सुमारे १५ मिनिटे उशिराची दाखवली जातेय, काही ठिकाणी तिसऱ्या उमेदवाराला मत दिल्याचं बटन दाबल्यानंतर लाईट लागते, काही ठिकाणी शेवटचं (चौथं) बटन दाबल्यानंतर आवाज येतो पण लाईट लागत…
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) January 15, 2026
Calling the incidents “suspicious”, he urged the State Election Commission to clarify the issues and ensure that the voting process remains free and fair.
EVM malfunctioned while casting his vote
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP) leader Ankush Kakade claimed the EVM malfunctioned while he was casting his vote and demanded that a formal complaint be registered with election officials. According to Kakade, when he pressed the button corresponding to candidate number four, the indicator light on the machine did not turn on.
After the incident, Kakade refused to leave the polling centre, stating that he would remain on the premises until his complaint was officially recorded. He questioned the on-duty election officials and insisted on immediate action.
Election officials respond
PMC Additional Commissioner and poll in-charge Omprakash Divte confirmed that around 15 to 20 EVMs developed faults shortly after polling began.
“Replacement machines were already available with sectoral election officers and were deployed immediately. Voting continued without disruption in the affected wards,” Divte said, according to the PTI.
He added that no complaints had been received regarding the indelible ink being removed using chemicals.
Voter turnout and arrangements
According to officials, an average voter turnout of 23 per cent was recorded in the PMC elections until 1.30 pm. The PMC has 165 seats across 41 wards.
Authorities said elaborate arrangements had been put in place to ensure smooth polling in both Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
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