Patiala admn shifts ‘old’ EVMs, AAP leaders allege foul play

Patiala : The district administration’s move to shift the electronic voting machines (EVMs) today kicked up a row with leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging foul play in the matter.While the authorities claim that the EVMs shifted from Government College of Physical Education were old and not the ones used in the recently held Assembly elections, the AAP leaders expressed apprehensions over EVMs’ security.
The incident took place around noon when AAP Nabha candidate Gurdev Singh Dev Mann reached the college on receiving a call from the RO’s office that they wanted to shift certain documents related to the Panchayat Department. AAP candidate from Patiala Rural Karanvir Singh Tiwana too reached the spot.
Mann saw that over three dozen trunks were being moved outside following which he raised an objection. On finding the trunks loaded with EVMs, he informed District Election Officer Ramvir Singh.
In the meantime, two more AAP candidates from Patiala district Dr Balbir Singh and Jagtar Singh Rajla reached the spot.Even as the authorities claimed that these were decade-old EVMs used in the municipal corporation elections and were being shifted to make space for counting agents and the media on the day of counting, the AAP leaders alleged that the authorities were trying to help the ruling SAD-BJP alliance.Mann said: “They lied that they were moving documents. Had I not inspected the trunks, we would have been clueless about the EVMs. Even if these were old EVMs as they claim, what was the urgency of shifting them?”