Sleep deprived staff surrendered EVMs after a day in AP

HYDERABAD, DHNS: After the delayed polling process in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a returning officer in Krishna district took the EVMs and tried to handover them to the observers after a day. The officer and his team told the EC officials that they slept for some time as they lacked sleep for the past three days.

The election in the Penamaluru segment which has 303 polling booths was concluded on 11 April night. Only a few EVMs, a control unit and a VVPAT were found to have glitches.

The polling continued till midnight in one booth in Kanuru, two booths in Yanamalakuduru, and one booth in Vanukuru. The EVMs of Penamaluru segment were supposed to have been deposited at the strong room in the Krishna University campus on the same night.

However, the EVMs reached the strong room at around 9 pm on April 12. As the shocked Parliament Observer Mr. Ganesh Kumar and Assembly Observer Mr. Binod Jhon asked for an explanation, the returning officer said that he and his team fell asleep forgetting about the crucial task at hand. However, the EVMs were accepted and were placed inside the strong room.

Meanwhile, the EC has served show cause notice to the Sub Collector (Nuzividu) Swapnil Dinakar over the shifting of the reserve EVMs out of the Machilipatnam strong room. Nuzividu Tahsildar P Tejeswar Rao was also suspended.

Repolling in 5 booths

The Chief Electoral Officer Gopalakrishna Dwivedi recommended re-poll in five booths in Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts of the state due to violence and technical glitches on 11 April. Polling station (number 94) in Narsaraopet, Nallachervu (244) in Guntur, Isukapalli (41) and Sullurupet (197) in Nellore, and Erragondapalem (247) in Prakasam district are the stations marked for a repoll.