Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Apr 23: The row over unsigned 32 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from Kishtwar district continued today with BJP launching a strong protest against the election authorities in the State.
However the Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, Jitender Singh who is also Returning Officer of Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha Constituency denied the same saying it is only a rumor based on apprehensions and presumption.
Talking to Excelsior, he said seal is intact and as per directions of Election Commission of India (ECI) the internal seal should be intact and in case of these 32 machines internal as well as external seal is intact i. e seal is also intact on carrying bags.
He said the reports are based on falsehood, rumors, apprehensions and presumption while there is nothing like that.
The Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar, Javed Ahmed Khan who was Election Officer of 51 and 52 Kishtwar also denied the reports saying that all records of presiding officers are intact and he scrutinized every thing himself.
He said all presiding officers have maintained the diary and all EVMs have been signed and sealed properly. However in case of some EVMs the outer cover seal could have not been signed inadvertently. But the proper record has been maintained by presiding officers as well as ARO, he added.
BJP district vice president, Kathua, Prem Nath Dogra said that he pointed out that 32 EVMs are unsigned and this was a grave mistake which was also accepted by the authorities.
He demanded a probe into the matter as why the 32 machines outer cover was not signed by presiding officers and agents.
Dogra said as on one side Government was claiming high percentage of polling in far flung areas of Kishtwar then why it took them four days in shifting the EVMs from these areas. If it was difficult to shift EVMs from some inaccessible areas then how the record voting percentage was possible there, he added.
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