Opposition raises EVM tampering claims in Kairana, Noorpur

Even as the polling for the high-stakes by-elections to Kairana and Noorpur assembly constituencies is underway, the opposition has raised concerns about the reported malfunctioning of voting machines in some areas. 

"Upchunav mein jagah jagah se EVM kharab hone ki khabrein aa rahi hain, lekin phir bhi apne matadhikar ke liye zaroor jayen aur apna kartavya nibhayan," Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Twitter. 

It loosely translates to "getting reports of problems in EVMs in the by-election, but still, voters should go out and vote". 

SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said 140 EVMs were tampered with in Noorpur and that similar reports have come in from Kairana.

"BJP wants to avenge their defeat in the earlier bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur anyhow and win the ongoing polls," he said.

RLD spokesman Anil Dubey echoed the Samajwadi Party's claims. 

He said there were reports of EVM malfunctioning in both the constituencies, especially areas dominated by the RLD-SP combine. 

"We (RLD and SP) are going to meet the chief electoral officer to lodge a formal complaint in this regard," Dubey added.