The district administration has issued a clarification in response to concerns raised by Sudhakar Bhika Badgujar, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate from the Nashik West Assembly Constituency, regarding the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the recent elections. On November 22, 2024, Badgujar held a press conference claiming that during the polling process on November 20, 2024, candidates were not informed about changes made to the EVMs at certain polling stations. He also raised objections, alleging that these machines could be “scanned” and hacked through external sources.
In response, the district administration explained that a second randomization of the EVMs had been done prior to the election, which decided which Control Units, Ballot Units, and VVPAT Units would be assigned to each polling station. It was also decided which reserve machines would be available in case of technical issues. A list of all these machines, including the reserve ones, was shared with all candidates, including Mr. Badgujar.
The district administration further clarified that during the polling on November 20, some voting machines at Polling Station Nos. 174, 191, 269, 306, 329, 06, and 221 experienced malfunctions. Following the Election Commission of India’s guidelines, the faulty machines were replaced with reserve machines that had been kept on standby for such situations. The replacements were carried out with the guidance of a BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) engineer. The replacement process was done in full view of the polling representatives from the candidates, and no objections were raised by them at the time.
On November 21, 2024, a scrutiny of the EVMs was conducted in the presence of the candidate and their representatives, as well as the Election Inspector. The change of the EVM at Polling Station No. 221 was included in this inspection, and no discrepancies were found. When the Election Inspector asked if further verification was needed at other polling stations, the candidate’s representatives confirmed there was no need for additional checks.
The district administration also mentioned that the Polling Station President had filled out Form 17C, documenting the change of EVMs, and this form was signed by the candidate’s polling representative. The Central President’s Diary and Center President’s Report also included information about the EVM changes. Additionally, a complete list of all the EVMs used during the voting process was made available to the candidates and their representatives.
The administration assured that all procedures related to the handling and replacement of EVMs were in full compliance with Election Commission of India’s guidelines, and all necessary records were provided for transparency.