NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday alleged malfunctions of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at several polling booths in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad during the ongoing municipal elections.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Pawar wrote in Marathi, "In many places across the state, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, voting began with malfunctioning machines. In several locations, the time displayed on the EVMs was approximately 15 minutes late. In some places, the light illuminates only after pressing the third button, while in others, pressing the last (fourth) button produces a sound, but the light does not turn on."
"Overall, all of this is suspicious and creates distrust regarding the election process. The Election Commission should provide clarification on this matter, resolve the confusion immediately, and ensure that voting takes place in a free and fair environment, with votes cast only for the intended candidates," he added.
Arrangement in Pune
Polling is underway in Pune for 163 seats, as two candidates -- Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap from Ward No. 35 -- have already been elected unopposed.
A total of 4,011 polling stations have been set up across Pune city. For this purpose, 13,862 ballot units and 5,321 control units have been made available.
The police deployment includes 14 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 30 Assistant Commissioners of Police, seven probationary ACPs, 166 Police Inspectors, 723 Assistant and Sub-Inspectors, 12,500 police personnel, 3,250 Home Guards and four companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF).
