Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Polling delayed at two booths after minor technical glitches

- HT Correspond­ent htreporter­s@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: Polling for Delhi Assembly polls was delayed at two booths in northeast Delhi and central Delhi area due to brief technical glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS).

The voting was delayed at C10 block booth in Yamuna Vihar in northeast Delhi and at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth number 114 in Lodhi Estate area in central Delhi. Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was one of the voters who exercised her franchise at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.

The election officials, however, said that the glitch was very small. They also said that the percentage of EVMS malfunctio­ning has gone down this time.

Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh said, “The number of electronic voting machines (EVMS) malfunctio­ning this time was just 0.29%; as compared to 0.31% during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.”

He also said that the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) failure this year was also negligible at 0.79%, as against 5.9% in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“This year we saw the lowest EVM replacemen­t across all polling stations. It’s heartening to see the better implementa­tion and training of poll officials,” said Sudeep Jain, deputy election commission­er, election commission of India (ECI), at a press conference in the evening.

On a tweet by AAP MLA Gopal Rai on EVMS being misplaced in Babarpur constituen­cy : “We are enquiring into the matter and will take appropriat­e action,” said a senior poll official.

 ?? SONU MEHTA/HT PHOTO ?? Polling officials checking EVMS at a distributi­on centre at Kamla n
Nehru College, a day before the elections.
SONU MEHTA/HT PHOTO Polling officials checking EVMS at a distributi­on centre at Kamla n Nehru College, a day before the elections.

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