Voters in parts of Raigad district faced significant delays and disruptions during recent municipal council elections due to repeated technical failures in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The issues were concentrated in polling stations under ward numbers eight and nine in Karjat, and also affected the Khopoli municipal council polls.
Widespread Technical Snags Disrupt Voting Process
At the Raigad Zilla Parishad school-Aakurli polling station in Karjat, a large number of voters were forced to wait in queues for extended hours. The EVMs, which were sourced from Madhya Pradesh, continued to experience recurring technical problems. According to the returning officer for Karjat, Dhananjay Jadhav, the glitches impacted multiple units across three to four polling stations.
"One control unit and eight ballot units had technical problems at three to four polling stations," Jadhav confirmed. He elaborated that at one particular station, four ballot units encountered faults and had to be replaced. Voting was ultimately conducted across 33 polling stations under 10 wards in the area.
Officials Confirm EVM Source and Replacement
Social activist Gurunath Sathelkar from Khopoli highlighted a key detail, noting that EVMs originally brought from Telangana for the elections were sent back, and the ones ultimately deployed were from Madhya Pradesh. This was corroborated by officials.
In Khopoli, similar technical troubles were reported. The returning officer for Khopoli, Prakash Sakpal, stated, "One control unit and six ballot units were replaced after technical issues were encountered." He clarified that all EVMs were allocated by the district election officer.
High Turnout Despite Hiccups
Despite the technical obstacles, voter turnout remained robust in several areas. Murud-Janjira recorded the second-highest polling percentage in the district at 73.89%, followed closely by Karjat at 72.37%.
The standout performance, however, came from the Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council. Despite having the lowest number of registered voters in Raigad district, it achieved the highest polling percentage of 85.35%. Out of 4,055 registered voters, 3,461 cast their franchise to elect a president and 20 councilors. In total, elections were held across 10 municipal councils in the district.
The incidents have raised questions about the preparedness and reliability of the EVM allocation process, even as officials managed to conduct the polls by replacing the faulty machines.
