Rahul Gandhi: 'EVMs have mysterious powers in Modi's India, stay alert'

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked party workers to be vigilant after polls close in Rajasthan and Telangana, saying in "Modi's India, the EVMs have mysterious powers", a charge the Election Commission denied saying the security protocol put in place by it has been approved by the Madhya Pradesh high court.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Photo: INCIndia/Twitter

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked party workers to be vigilant after polls close in Rajasthan and Telangana, saying in "Modi's India, the EVMs have mysterious powers", a charge the Election Commission denied saying the security protocol put in place by it has been approved by the Madhya Pradesh high court. Gandhi on Thursday had urged party workers in the two states to put all their efforts at their respective polling booths to ensure the party's win in both the states. Taking to Twitter on Friday, Gandhi asked party workers to be vigilant after polls close. "In MP, EVM's behaved strangely after polling: Some stole a school bus and vanished for 2 days! Others slipped away & were found drinking in a hotel. In Modi's India, the EVMs have mysterious powers," he said, in an apparent reference to media reports that Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs reached a collection centre in Madhya Pradesh 48 hours after voting ended on November 28. However, the EC had said that these EVMs were meant as reserves and were not used in the polling. Asked to respond to the allegations, senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha told reporters that the Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has approved of the security protocol put in place by the EC to store EVMs. He said while disposing a PIL filed in the court, the bench agreed that the three tier security for EVM strong roms was sufficient. Another Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena explained that EVMs used in polls and those kept as reserves are kept in separate buildings. The EVMs used for poling are opened only on counting day in presence of representatives of political parties. The CEO MP, on December 4, also submitted a report to the EC refuting media reports on account of short term failure of CCTV cameras due to power cut in Bhopal, as well as delay in depositing three unused reserved EVMs-VVPATs in Khandwa.