EC receives 8 pleas for EVM verification

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 21, 2024: The Election Commission has received eight applications from candidates, including those from BJP and Congress, for examining EVMs to see whether there was any tampering or modification in microcontroller chips post declaration of Lok Sabha election results on June 4.

The Supreme Court had allowed unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in the polls to seek verification of microcontroller chips embedded in 5 per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon the payment of a fee to the EC.

The candidates who come second or third will have to pay Rs 47,200 (including GST) per EVM set for the verification of the EVMs, according to the standard operating procedure issued by the EC on June 1.

In a statement, the EC said the total number of polling stations for which verification has been sought is 92, which is spread across eight constituencies in six states.

BJP’s Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines from 40 polling stations, the highest for any candidate. BJP candidates in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore (six polling stations) and Telangana’s Zahirabad (20 polling stations) have also sought verification.

Congress’ candidate in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker has sought verification of four polling stations, while those in Karnal and Faridabad, both in Haryana, had sought such an exercise in four and two polling stations, respectively.

YSRCP (two polling stations) and DMDK (14 polling stations) candidates in Vizianagaram and Virudhunagar (14 polling stations) have also demanded the same.

In Assembly polls, a BJD candidate in Jharsuguda has sought verification in 13 polling stations, while YSR Congress candidates in Gajapathinagaram (1 polling station) and Ongole (12).