As Kerala entered the polling session on Tuesday, April 23, for the third phase of the Lok Sabha 2019 elections, several Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctions and glitches have been reported across the state.
Polling was delayed at several booths due to the EVM malfunctions and it is reported that voting was stopped at a polling station in Chowara booth of Thiruvananthapuram constituency after the voters complained of a malfunction in the system.
According to the voters, when they had cast their vote for the Congress, instead of the Congress hand symbol Bharatiya Janata Party's lotus symbol was lit up. This malfunction comes from the state capital where the Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor has locked horns with former Mizoram governor and BJP candidate Kummanam Rajashekharan and Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate C Divakaran.
Many of the voters have alleged that it is the saffron party's play to ensure a win in the capital city as it has always been a tough spot for them and has asked for a re-voting considering a foul play. However, the malfunctions were reported in the Chowara polling booth after 76 voters had cast their votes and the Election Commission has ordered to replace the EVM with a new one.
Similar incidents were reported from several constituencies across the state due to EVM issues. The polling was delayed at 20 booths in Kasaragod, 3 in Idukki, 2 in Ernakulam among other constituencies including Kollam and Kannur.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also slammed the EC for the widespread EVM issues reported from the state. He said that there were EVM malfunctions at his own home booth in Kannur and that the EC had not taken adequate measures for the proper working of the EVM machines.
