Bharatpur (Rajasthan): As voting continues on the 12 Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan in the first phase of voting for the parliamentary elections, complaints of technical faults in EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) have come to light at many polling stations in Bharatpur leading to delay in the voting process, sources said.
Voting is going on in since 7 am under the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan where an estimated 2.54 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise. But the voting process has been marred due to large scale complaints of technical faults in EVMs at many polling stations in Bharatpur.
Sources said that there was a technical fault in the EVM during the mock poll at at least two places in Deeg area. In Bharatpur city, voting started with a delay of about an hour due to EVM malfunction in the polling center of Municipal Corporation complex, sources said.
Joint Director of Information and Public Relations Department, Hariom Gurjar while confirming the reports said that voting started late due to technical fault in EVMs at Kishan Lal Joshi Government Higher Secondary School, Deeg Part No. 13 and Banke Bihari Kanhaiya Lal College Part No. 17. The EVMs could not be started at the Municipal Corporation polling center for about an hour, due to which voting started late by about an hour, he said. There was a technical fault in the VVPAT at booth number 183, 282 and one booth in the city, due to which the VVPAT was changed, added Gurjar.
Voting Boycott in Two Villages: Meanwhile, Joint Director Hariom Gurjar said that people of Kheria village of Rupwas area and Iklera village of Deeg boycotted voting in the morning. The people of Iklera village demanded that voting would not be held until the theft worth lakhs reported in the village recently was solved and the thief was caught.
Following the complaints, DSP Giriraj Singh reached village Iklera and assured that the theft would be solved soon. It was only after assurances by the cops, the villagers started voting at 7.50 in the morning at the respective polling stations.
