EVM in India storm with only the symbol of Modi's party!

The Dhaka Times Desk India's voting machinery Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been the subject of a great deal of controversy. EVM tests before the country's Madhya Pradesh elections showed that only the symbols of the ruling party were coming out when the machine was used!

As reported by the BBC, doubts have been raised whether there was any mechanical rigging to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party win. After the matter came to light, there was widespread criticism across India.

Elections are going to be held in Madhya Pradesh next week. However, when the officials checked the Electronic Voting Machine or EVM before the polls in that state, they found that when any button was pressed, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was coming out of the slip machine! Controversy started last week when a video of officials checking EVMs went viral on social media. Two officials of the Election Commission have already been transferred after this incident.

The Election Commission of the country has said that several officials will be sent from Delhi to monitor the elections in Madhya Pradesh. A spokesman of the commission said that the commission has sought a detailed report on such strange incidents in EVMs. Besides, two delegations of the Election Commission led by two senior officials are also being sent to that place in Madhya Pradesh. The election commission of the country said that these parties will be in both Madhya Pradesh from the start of polling on April 9 until the election results are announced. The glitch was caught during the EVM testing in India's Binde state. In this incident, an officer of the commission and a senior police officer responsible for the electoral work of that province have been transferred to another place, according to various media reports. Although the Election Commission has not confirmed anything about this.

It should be noted that last month several political parties in India raised various questions about the electronic voting machine (EVM) used in the country's elections. Although EVMs were first used in Indian elections nearly two decades ago, some political parties now complain that EVMs have scope for vote fraud.