Bhubaneswar: In a press conference held by Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha, Shri Nikunja Bihari Dhal, IAS has cleared clouds over the EVM malfunctions reported at various polling booths in Odisha.
“The voting process is underway at 7303 polling stations spread over the four constituencies in Odisha, out of which 52 Ballot Units (BU), 58 Control Units, and 43 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units were replaced, which less than 1% of total number of booths.” Said; CEO Nikunja Bihari Dhal.
Adding further the CEO said, “We generally commission an additional 25% of BU, CU, and 35% of VVPAT units which our Sector Officers carry for emergency replacement purposes ensuring facilitation of smooth polling process.”
In Kalahandi Parliamentary Constituency a maximum number of replacements were done, including replacement of 10 BU, 41 CU, and 19 VVPAT units. While commissioning we were aware that the lot of EVMs received was defective for which we administered an additional 50% more EVM units.
I would assure the voters of these 4 constituencies, that in case of any EVM-related problems arise, we will replace the unit within 30 minutes.
The CEO also appreciated the enthusiasm amongst the voters and added, “We record a significant number of votes in these four places, especially in Nabarangpur, Koraput, and Kalahandi Parliamentary Constituencies.
Highlighting the electoral polling in the Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri, CEO Dhal concluded, “In 2019, 23 polling stations were organised at the Border Security Force’s (BSF) at Jantapai camp, out of which 10 booths recorded zero votes. But this year votes of these 23 areas are casting their votes from the respective villages, which is a matter of happiness.”
