Chandigarh: The two-member team constituted by the Election Commission to probe into the alleged breach of security of electronic voting machines at Patiala constituency in Punjab on Wednesday gave a clean chit to the district administration.
The team led by Himachal Pradesh chief electoral officer Narinder Chauhan gave a clean chit to the district administration’s move of shifting “old” electronic voting machines (EVMs), stating that there was no violation in it.
A delegation led by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the poll panel in Delhi alleging that there were “multiple instances of breach in EVMs’ safety” in Punjab, where Assembly elections were held recently.
The Aam Aadmi Party had alleged that the Nabha Returning Officer (RO) allowed some people to remove EVMs kept in a college building in Patiala.
The EC team arrived in Patiala to assess the security arrangements at the strongrooms. The officials also held a meeting with the representatives of all political parties and returning officers of the district.
Patiala district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner Ramvir Singh and SSP S Bhoopati also attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Ramvir Singh sought a report from Nabha Returning Officer in connection with the video allegedly made by AAP candidate Gurdev Mann showing EVMs being shifted.
