Lok Sabha Elections 2019: As voters began queueing up to cast their vote on Thursday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, many states across India witnessed complaints of electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctioning and glitches in paper trail machines. In Uttar Pradesh, the polling process was delayed at in Agra and Mathura due to faulty EVMs. Besides, voting in some polling booths in Tamil Nadu was halted today owing to technical problems with the EVM, as per reports. While in West Bengal, polling did not start till 8 am at booth number 29/134 at Islampur Hindi FP School of Uttar Dinajpur, in Raiganj Parliamentary constituency, as the EVM at the booth was not functioning.

In Maharashtra, Beed DM Astik Kr Pandey said, "Five places have reported EVM and VVPAT malfunction since morning in Beed constituency. Those are Georai, Mazalgaon, Kej, Ashti, Parali. However, all those machines have been replaced immediately and polling is going smoothly at all locations." Meanwhile, the voting procedure was halted at booths 261 and 263 in Bolangir Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha due to EVM malfunction. However, voting was resumed later.

More than 155 million people are eligible to vote in the second phase, which covers 95 parliamentary constituencies in 12 states including parts of restive Jammu and Kashmir.

Voters in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Manipur are voting on Thursday. Along with the Lok Sabha election, Odisha will also vote for 35 assembly seats on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday, a plea in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Election Commission to ensure safety and security of electronic voting machines (EVMs) after Lok Sabha polls. The plea, filed by M Srinivasan, President of Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Law Association, has referred to news reports on apprehensions of some opposition parties that EVMs may be tampered with even after the polls.

The petition, which may come up for hearing next week, said that the Chief Election Commissioner be directed to ensure that EVMs are not tampered with during the post-polls period. The plea said that as alleged it was possible to tamper with the EVMs in broad daylight during post-poll situations since it was a dark period in which the machines have very little access to the outer world except to a limited administrative functionary.

The plea also referred to news reports related to a letter written by 66 former bureaucrats and ambassadors to the President of India questioning the impartial functioning of the poll panel and had expressed their deepest anguish on the all-time low weak knee conduct of the EC.

(With inputs from agencies)