EVM row: EC starts probe, MP govt opposes officers’ transfer

Bhopal: A five-member team of Election Commission on Sunday began a “probe” into the Friday’s incident of a malfunctioning electronic voting machine during a demo in Bhind in Madhya Pradesh ahead of an Assembly byelection in the region.

The team headed by commission director Mukesh Meena visited the strong room, where the EVMs are stored, in the district headquarters town of Bhind and gave demo of the voting machines to the representatives of different political parties and media to dispel their doubts.

The team discussed this matter with the outgoing Bhind district collector T.Illeyaraja and SP Anil Singh. Preliminary probe into the Friday’s incident by state CEO’s office here has disclosed that demo of an old voting machine led to the fiasco, sources said.

Mr Meena said they were not probing the incident. “We are here to give demo of the voting machines to clear all confusions. We are not here to probe the EVM malfunctioning incident”, he told the reporters on the sideline of the demonstration of the voting machines.

Sources in the state CEO’s office disclosed to this newspaper that a three-member technical committee accompanying the team has scrutinized the malfunctioned EVM.

The political leaders and media persons were fully satisfied with the fresh demo given by the EC team, reports said.

Meanwhile, the MP government on Sunday appealed to EC to review its decision to transfer 19 officers in Bhind district, saying that the move would demoralize the administration. In a related development, MP government on Sunday appointed new district collector and SP for Bhind and the EC appointed a three-member team to oversee the April 9 by-elections to Ater and Bandhavgarh assembly constituencies in the state.

The development comes in the wake of demand by Congress to appoint election officers from other states to oversee the two assembly by-elections raising apprehensions over free and fair polls under the stewardship of MP CEO Saleena Singh.

The three-member EC team headed by Andhra Pradesh CEO Bhanwar Lal is arriving in MP on Monday for the purpose.