Gallery
- PM Modi visit USAOnly the mirror in my washroom and phone gallery see the crazy me : Sara KhanKarnataka rain fury: Photos of flooded streets, uprooted treesCannes 2022: Deepika Padukone stuns at the French Riviera in Sabyasachi outfitRanbir Kapoor And Alia Bhatt's Wedding Pics - Sealed With A KissOscars 2022: Every Academy Award WinnerShane Warne (1969-2022): Australian cricket legend's life in picturesPhotos: What Russia's invasion of Ukraine looks like on the groundLata Mangeshkar (1929-2022): A pictorial tribute to the 'Nightingale of India'PM Modi unveils 216-feet tall Statue of Equality in Hyderabad (PHOTOS)
Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh has been named Player of the Year 2024
- World Boxing medallist Gaurav Bidhuri to flag off 'Delhi Against Drugs' movement on Nov 17
- U23 World Wrestling Championship: Chirag Chikkara wins gold as India end campaign with nine medals
- FIFA president Infantino confirms at least 9 African teams for the 2026 World Cup
- Hockey, cricket, wrestling, badminton, squash axed from 2026 CWG in Glasgow
- FIFA : Over 100 female footballers urge FIFA to reconsider partnership with Saudi oil giant
UP polls: Varanasi official admits 'lapses' in EVM row, claims Samajwadi Party Last Updated : 09 Mar 2022 12:49:45 PM IST A day after Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were moved illegally in Varanasi just 48 hours before the counting of votes in state elections, his party tweeted the on-camera statement of an official conceding there were 'lapses'.
Varanasi's Commissioner Deepak Agarwal appeared to accept that there was a lapse in protocol in the movement of EVMs. However, he insisted that the vote machines in question were only for training purposes."If you talk about the protocol for the movement of EVMs, there was a lapse in the protocol, I accept that. But I can guarantee you, it is impossible to take away machines used in voting," he said and explained that there were CCTV cameras, security guards and political party representatives at the counting centres."Political party workers can even sit outside the centres to keep an eye," the Commissioner added.The Samajwadi Party shared the comment on Twitter and said it was an admission that protocol was not followed."There is information of violations in EVMs from various districts. On whose order is this happening? Are officials under pressure from the Chief Minister's (Yogi Adityanath) Office? The Election Commission must clarify," the Samajwadi Party tweeted, tagging the Election Commission.On Tuesday evening, Akhilesh Yadav accused the ruling BJP of trying to 'steal' the election and alleged that EVMs were moved out of a counting centre in three trucks.Claiming video evidence, the Samajwadi chief also said his party workers had intercepted one of the trucks in Varanasi."In Varanasi, we caught one truck with EVMs and two others fled. If the government is not trying to steal votes, then it should at least explain why there was no security while moving EVMs," Yadav said.He also alleged that officials had orders to slow down the counting of votes at places where the chances of the BJP candidate's win are slimmer. The instructions were specifically given for 47 seats where the BJP's margin of victory in the 2017 election was less than 5,000 votes, he claimed.BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya rubbished the Samajwadi Party chief's allegation and said, "I would ask Akhilesh Yadav to be patient. What is in the EVMs will be known on March 10 (Thursday) when votes are counted."Exit polls have predicted a big victory for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav, who is the main challenger to the BJP in this election, is tipped to finish second.IANS Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh For Latest Updates Please-
Join us on
Follow us on
172.31.16.186