TFP Bureau, Bilaspur, June 2, 2024: The Collector and District Election Officer has firmly refuted the allegations made by the Indian National Congress candidate regarding discrepancies in the documents related to the Lok Sabha Election for Bilaspur constituency. The allegations pertained to inconsistencies in the second randomization report, commissioning, mock poll, actual poll, and Form 17C documentation (ballot unit, control unit, and VVPAT) provided by the polling parties.
The District Election Officer clarified that the list of machines, including their unique serial numbers, was provided to all candidates following the first and second randomization, commissioning of machines, and after the conclusion of voting. Address tags, green paper seals, and special address tags affixed during the sealing process at polling stations were signed by polling agents present at the stations. No objections were lodged by any polling agent during this period.
Following the polling, the Election Commission of India’s observer scrutinized the documents used at polling stations in the presence of all candidates or their election agents. No objections were raised during this scrutiny, and all documents were subsequently sealed in a designated strong room.
The unique serial numbers of the machines used at polling stations, obtained from the Election Commission’s EMS site, were provided to candidates and their election agents. In addition, during meetings and training sessions, candidates were instructed to provide these lists to their counting agents to match the machines on the counting day.
The Election Commission’s guidelines for the counting process included the provision of lists of EVMs and VVPATs with unique numbers to identify the machines used at polling booths. The District Election Officer emphasized that all procedures were transparent and adhered to, rendering the allegations by the Congress candidate baseless.
