Assam Congress alleges lapses in security of EVMs, strong room

Congress candidates have already lodged complaints with their respective returning officers or district election officers over the alleged lapses

The Congress' Assam unit on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission alleging "serious discrepancies" regarding the safety of a strong room and electronic voting machines used in the recently held assembly poll and demanded an enquiry into the matter.

In a letter to the Election Commission, Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora claimed that the lack of safety of a strong room and EVMS were noticed in several assembly constituencies in Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Goalpara districts.

The tags/slips bearing the number of ballot unit, control unit and the VVPAT used in two polling stations under the Dhakuakhana seat in Lakhimpur district were found by Congress supporters outside the sealed strong room in which they were kept, Bora alleged in the letter.

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At Moran, Lahowal, Dibrugarh and Chabua constituencies in Dibrugarh district, the identification numbers of the EVM, control unit, ballot unit and the VVPAT did not match with those given to the contesting candidates before the poll, the state Congress president claimed.

In another incident in Goalpara district, Bora claimed in the letter, three persons carrying electronic devices on Wednesday entered the inner parameter of the strong room as well as the control room of the closed circuit camera on the pretext of some repairing works in the CC unit without making entries in the logbook.

Congress candidates of these constituencies have already lodged complaints with their respective returning officers or district election officers over the alleged lapses.

The assembly election was held in Assam in three phases on March 27, April 1 and 6. Counting will be held on May 2.