An inquiry revealed that the machines were “reserve” EVMs and had not been used for voting on Saturday. Both devices were found in sealed condition, officials said
The EVMs were discovered around midnight. Representational Pic/File
Two Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were found in a car near an eatery in Maharashtra’s Solapur district on Saturday night, officials said on Sunday. The machines were later confirmed to be reserve devices that had not been used in the day’s voting, reported the PTI.
The discovery came during elections for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis across Maharashtra, including Solapur.
The EVMs were discovered around midnight near Hotel Swarajya in Mohol town. The car had been hired for an official on election duty.
The incident prompted allegations of possible tampering from several political parties, raising concerns about the transparency of the election process.
Following the alert, the election returning officer, tehsildar and police personnel reached the spot.
An inquiry revealed that the machines were “reserve” EVMs and had not been used for voting on Saturday. Both devices were found in sealed condition, as per the PTI.
The official added that all EVMs used for voting were deposited in the strong room by 10.30 pm on Saturday.
An NCP candidate demanded a detailed investigation into the incident, saying it raised questions about the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.
Three officials suspended after Sena MLA votes in minor son's presence
Three officials deployed for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections were suspended on Sunday after Shiv Sena MLA Vilas Bhumre took his minor son inside an EVM booth in Paithan taluka, violating voting secrecy and election norms, according to the PTI.
The incident occurred on Saturday at the Pachod polling booth, where the fingers of both Bhumre and his son were inked after voting. A video of the incident went viral on social media, prompting district collector and returning officer Dilip Swami to order an inquiry.
According to a release issued by the district administration, the presiding officer of booth number 58/7, Dilipa Narwade, booth officer Sangita Kedar, and home guard Renuka Bomble have been suspended until the inquiry report is submitted.
Narwade and Kedar are school teachers who were drafted for election duty.
MLA down plays incident
Bhumre, the MLA from Paithan, dismissed concerns over the incident when questioned by reporters.
He said his son only wanted ink on his finger while Bhumre was being marked after voting and claimed the child was too young to understand anything about EVMs.
Collector Dilip Swami said the probe was ordered after the video surfaced and was reported by the media. The officer in charge of Paithan taluka has been asked to submit a detailed explanation of the sequence of events.
The collector assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible for the violation.
(with PTI inputs)
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