In response to allegations of irregularities during the counting process in the 44-Rania Assembly constituency, the Election Commission (EC) has announced a verification of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the October 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly elections. Congress candidate Sarvmittar Kamboj has raised concerns regarding the accuracy of the results, particularly in relation to several booths where the counting was disputed.
Checking & Verification process scheduled for January 9-13, 2025
The EC’s verification process will take place from January 9 to 13, 2025, at a warehouse near Sirsa’s Traffic Park. Nine EVMs will be scrutinized during this period. The verification will be open to all candidates contesting from the Rania seat, including Kamboj and Arjun Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), ensuring complete transparency in the process.
Focus on EVM accuracy, not rote Recounting
Shantanu Sharma, the District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner, clarified that the checking and verification (C&V) would adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued following the Supreme Court’s directives. Sharma emphasized that the exercise would focus solely on verifying the accuracy of the EVMs, and would not involve a recount or rechecking of votes. “Only the EVMs will be examined to ensure the accuracy of the vote recording,” he explained, reported The Tribune.
Kamboj raises concerns over the C&V process
Despite the official clarification, Sarvmittar Kamboj has expressed dissatisfaction with the process, calling it a “mock poll.” He remains frustrated over the results at nine booths where he believes he had a strong chance of winning. “I paid for a recount, but now they are dismissing the issue with this C&V,” Kamboj stated. He confirmed that he would participate in the verification process, but indicated that he may pursue further actions depending on the outcome.
However, in the October 2024 elections, INLD’s Arjun Chautala emerged victorious in the Rania constituency, defeating Kamboj by 4,191 votes. Ranjit Chautala and BJP’s Shishpal Kamboj secured the third and fourth spots, respectively.
Supreme Court’s direction on EVMs Checking & Verification
It is important to note that the Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on the issue of EVM checking earlier in April 2024. The bench sought technical clarifications from the Election Commission regarding aspects such as the micro-controller’s installation, its programmability, and the sealing of control units and VVPATs. Additionally, the Court addressed the process for handling the Symbol Loading Units (SLUs) and clarified the timeline for election petitions.
The Supreme Court issued directions to the Election Commission, which included the sealing and securing of the SLUs post-May 1, 2024, to ensure transparency. Further, the Court allowed for the verification of the burnt memory semi-controller of 5% of EVMs per assembly segment in case of a written request by the runner-up candidates. This verification, to be conducted by engineers from EVM manufacturers, will take place post-results and within seven days of the declaration. The cost of this process is to be borne by the candidate making the request, but if any tampering or discrepancies are found, the expenses will be refunded.
The letter of DEO Sirsa dated 07.01.2025 can be read here
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