Fearing EVM tampering, oppn leaders camp outside strongrooms

ROHTAK : Amid allegations of EVMS tampering flying thick, the Congress and Jannayak Janata party (JJP) workers have been guarding the strongrooms in Rohtak, Sonepat and Jhajjar districts where EVMS are kept, since Tuesday.

This came few hours after leaders of both the political parties alleged that the EVMS inside the strongroom in Jhajjar were tampered as the CCTV cameras installed in the room remained dysfunctional for four hours while three people were present inside.

The Congress and the JJP supporters believe that they are guarding the “political fate” of candidates by watching over the strongroom as they are apprehensive that the “Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can resort to any malicious mean to emerge victorious”.

Congress nominees, Sri Krishan Hooda (Baroda), Jagbir Singh Malik(gohana), Jaiveer Singh (Kharkhauda reserved) and Jai Tirath Dahiya (Rai), have been guarding the EVMS along with their supporters at Mohana village in Sonepat while Kuldeep Vats (Badli) and his opponent Sanjay Kablana of the JJP have camped outside the Jawahar Lal Nehru College in Jhajjar, where EVMS were kept.

The supporters of Balraj Kundu, an independent candidate from Meham, are also monitoring the EVMS at Rohtak.

Congress candidate from Rai, Jai Tirath Dahiya, said the party workers will monitor the EVMS till Thursday, when the election commission (EC) will declare the Haryana assembly poll results.

“The democracy is in danger.

Some candidate may try to engage in corrupt practices to manipulate the result of assembly elections”, Dahiya said.

A Congress leader, pleading anonymity, said senior leaders have directed them to not only guard the strongrooms in shift of 8 hours each but also to recruit experienced counting agents along the lawyers, who will be present at the counting spots on Thursday till the process gets over. “The leadership has asked us to be sure about EVM numbers so that they cannot be changed at the time of counting,” said a Bhiwani-based JJP leader.

Jhajjar deputy commissioner (DC) Sanjay Joon assured Congress and JJP workers that the EVMS kept inside the strongroom are secure.

“The EVMS are guarded under a three-layer security cover and no one can enter the area without signing at the gate,” he added.

SOME ‘SHORTCOMINGS’ WERE NOTICED DURING ELECTIONS ON MONDAY AFTER WHICH REPOLLING WAS ORDERED IN THESE BOOTHS