Grave irregularities in the recently concluded Karnataka elections, alleged BS Yeddyurappa
Highlights
- BS Yeddyurappa resigned two days after he took oath as Chief Minister
- Chief Electoral Officer said eight VVPAT carrying boxes were found
- BJP and Congress complained of 'malpractice' before the elections
A day after cases of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines were found abandoned in a shed in Vijayapur district of Karnataka, state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa has written to the election commission, alleging "grave irregularities" in the recently conducted assembly elections.
"This incident has exposed the hollowness of the claim of the election commission that assembly elections in Karnataka were held in a fair and free manner," alleged Mr Yeddyurappa in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat.
Mr Yeddyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister on Thursday after the BJP emerged the single largest party in the elections. He resigned two days later before the trust vote as he did not have the numbers.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told reporters that eight VVPAT carrying boxes, not the machines, had been found.
"VVPATS are electronically monitored and can be tracked with the six-digit bar code - one alphabet and five numerals. The VVPATS found in Vijaypur do not have the six-digit code," Mr Kumar told reporters.
VVPAT, a device attached to an electronic voting machine (EVM), prints a paper slip containing the name of the candidate and their election symbol after a voter presses the button on the EVM against the candidate of his or her choice.
Karnataka: 8 cases of voter verifiable paper audit trail devices found abandoned
The state's top election official said the cases that were found had been manufactured by a Gujarat-based company called Jyothi Plastics.
"The quality is similar to the original and it has general resemblance. It has nothing to do with the electoral process," said Mr Kumar, adding that strict action will be taken against those who are trying to "create confusion".
All 2744 VVPATs allotted to the district are safe in the strong room, he claimed.
Ahead of the assembly elections on May 12, both the BJP and the Congress had approached the election commission with different complaints of 'malpractices'.
In his letter, Mr Yeddyurappa alleged a nexus between election officials and the Congress that is now set to be part of a government headed by the JD(S).
"Many officials involved with the elections acted and worked according to the whims and fancies of the candidates and leaders of ruling Congress party in Karnataka. In many assembly segments, money, muscle and liquor power of the rival party leaders played a key role in the elections and officials involved with the elections remained silent to all these illegal acts," wrote Mr Yeddyurappa.
Suggesting that the election commission investigate all "irregularities", the BJP leader also sought strict action against officials who were involved.