Rivals may manipulate EVMS, increase security at counting centre: AAP to EC

NEW DELHI: With most exit polls predicting a clean sweep by BJP in the national capital, the AAP on Monday alleged that opponents planned to manipulate EVMS ahead of counting of votes on May 23 and asked the Election Commission to provide additional security at a counting centre in South Delhi. “I have strong reasons to believe that the political adversaries will attempt to open the strong rooms and manipulate or replace the machines as a handful of such incidents have been seen in the past,” AAP leader Raghav Chadha said in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Chadha, who is AAP'S South Delhi candidate, said such incidents have taken place in the past as well. “Alarming as it may be, this would not be the first time that an attack on the electoral system may take place,” he said. Chadha also sought the appointment of another independent observer by the poll watchdog and a bar on unnecessary movement in and around the premises.

“We request that the CRPF security at Jijabai Institute where South Delhi's EVMS are housed be tightened. It is further requested that additional CRPF personnel may be deployed to keep watch over the strong rooms around the clocks,” he said. In the letter AAP urged to provide additional security at a counting centre in South Delhi, alleging that political opponents plan to manipulate EVMS ahead of the announcement of poll results on May 23.

The letter comes days after an AAP delegation met EC officials as well as the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer alleging that polling diaries of the South Delhi constituency were manipulated. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj had alleged that around 200-250 presiding officers were called to the EC office over the last two days and asked to “change sensitive information in the polling diaries”. The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's Office (CEO) has said it would inquire into the allegations.