With the beginning of Phase I of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission is also geared up to address any problem which may occur during polling and counting of votes.
With only a few hours into polling, Congress is already facing problems with many voters claiming that the party's symbol was not working on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Shahpur and other parts of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.
This delayed voting while the machines were fixed. A polling officer in the region explained that voting was delayed due to the malfunction EVM.
Congress's allegations of EVM tampering
Congress, which is known for its allegations of EVM tampering in the previous elections, has now fallen a victim to its own claims. During the Madhya Pradesh state assembly elections in December 2018, Congress had released a video of EVMs being carried out of a luxury hotel in Madhya Pradesh.
In a series of tweets, the party's treasurer, Ahmed Patil, had said, "Sensing a defeat in Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh, some are indulging in desperate measures by attempting to tamper with EVM's in strong rooms. Urge the EC to investigate & take concrete action."
He then wrote,
I am submitting four suggestions to Election Commission ahead of Chattisgarh counting-
1) Kindly allow representatives of all political parties while transporting EVM's to counting centres from strong rooms
2) Cross check if postal ballots were received from eligible voters.
3) Review conduct of top officials in 3 districts-Rajnandgaon, Kondagaon & Bilaspur
4) Initiate second round of counting only after completion of first round."
