The election machinery is all set to deal with attempts to tamper with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the February 16 municipal elections, said Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) chief election officer Pravin Ashtikar.
In an exclusive interview to DNA, Ashtikar said a team of Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) will be camping in the city till the counting is completed. The team has trained PMC engineers, and two such engineers will be available for each ward during polling.
During the zilla parishad (ZP) elections it was found that in one EVM at a polling booth in Kolhapur district, all the votes went to one particular party even as the voter pressed the button for other party. Voters at some places complained that they suffered electric shock from EVMs.
The state election commission has sought the help of ECIL, a central government undertaking responsible for the development of electronic products, to ensure fair voting through EVMs.
A team of four engineers from ECIL, headed by PS Shende, is camping in the city since couple of days. They have trained the PMC engineers regarding maintenance of EVMs. Each returning officer has been provided with two such trained engineers.
“These engineers can deal with minor problems with EVMs, and the ECIL team will be there till the completion of counting,” said Ashtikar.
On rumours that voters have suffered shock from EVMs, he said that the machines run on battery and have been checked by experts.
“Twenty-eight trained engineers of PMC will be deployed at polling booths all over the city. In case of any problem with the machine, the voter can approach the presiding officer.
Comments