Trinamool raises outcry for EVMs left under open sky

Trinamool Congress workers demonstrated outside the residence of the district magistrate of South 24 Paraganas on late Wednesday night alleging negligence by the administration...

Trinamool Congress workers demonstrated outside the residence of the district magistrate of South 24 Paraganas on late Wednesday night alleging negligence by the administration in the upkeep of the sealed EVMs that were brought to the district headquarters from polling booths.

The incident took place around 11 pm when Trinamool workers were waiting for the sealed EVMs to arrive at Gyan Ghosh Polytechnique College the counting centre for Kolkata South constituency in Ballygunge.

They alleged that the EVMs from three Assembly segments Kasba,Behala East and Behala West were taken to the distribution centre at Hastings House instead of being brought to the counting centre directly.

The EVMs were left under the open sky. The Met office had predicted rain and that would destroy all the machines as in the case of Mathurapur, said Trinamool leader Mukul Roy.

At least 100 booths of Mathurapur had to go for repolling on Thursday after it was found that the EVMs got damaged by rainwater.

Is it a joke? We blame him (the DM) for the EVM malfunction at Mathurapur as the safe custody of the machines was his responsibility, Roy added.

The district magistrate Khalil Ahmed,however,said that the machines have been kept under safe custody.

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According to the norms,the machines were taken to the distribution centre from the polling booth, Ahmed added. Trinamool workers left the place at 3 am after EVMs were placed in a room in the distribution centre.

The machines were arranged systematically. First they were kept under a tent for sometime and then placed in the designated strongroom, said Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen.

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