A few complaints of EVMs, VVPAT machines and control units malfunctioning in some places became the talking point of an otherwise peaceful election held in the Vellore Parliamentary constituency on Monday.
In a booth in Guruvarajapalayam, Ambur, one of the polling units stopped functioning until technical experts repaired the faulty machine. The polling was disrupted for more than 25 minutes in that booth.
Similarly, a faulty voting machine, which was tended to by senior election officers in Nacharkuppam, Ambur, caused a delay of more than 20 minutes.
V. Shaheed, a trader from Ambur, said that when the election commission is seeking 100% polling, they should also be fully prepared to encourage the voters to come and exercise their franchise. In some booths mock polls delayed the elections. People who came from faraway places were in an urgency to return to their places after fulfilling their democratic duties, he said.
The EVMs in Islamia Girls School, Pernambut, failed to start and the on duty officers were unable to repair them immediately.
They had to call senior officials, who were patrolling the area, to repair the machines. The polling in that booth began at 7:25 a.m.
In VVKN Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Velappadi, Vellore, an EVM could not be accessed when the polling started. The polling could only start after the officials rectified the technical error.
In Corporation School in Palavansathu Kuppam under Anaikattu segment, polling was delayed due to a technical error in the EVM and causing a delay of more than 45 minutes.
Voters were irked with these disruptions which, they said, should have been addressed by the officials during their training classes.
District Election Officer A. Shanmuga Sundram admitted that there were technical faults in EVMs, VVPAT machines and control units.
Of the 22 VVPAT machines, four voting machines and four control units were replaced by the officials on receiving reports from the respective booth officials, he said.
