Ex-Chhattisgarh CM Baghel claims several EVMs changed after polling in Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat
Raipur, Jun 4: Senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh's former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday alleged that several Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT units were changed after polling in the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, from where he contested the elections.
Baghel claimed the numbers of several EVMs used in the April 26 voting in Rajnandgaon provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI) does not match with details of machines of the booths concerned mentioned in Form 17 C.
However, the returning officer of Rajnandgaon denied any irregularities or mismatch in numbers.
In a post on his X handle on the Lok Sabha poll counting eve, the former CM said, "The Election Commission had given the numbers of the machines which were used in the voting. This includes (numbers of) ballot unit, control unit and VVPAT.
"According to the information mentioned in Form 17 C after the voting in my constituency Rajnandgaon, the numbers of several machines have changed. The booths where the numbers of machines have been changed affect thousands of votes."
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an independent system attached with the EVMs that allows electors to verify that their votes are cast as intended. When a vote is cast, a slip is printed containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate and remains exposed through a transparent window for 7 seconds. Thereafter, this printed slip automatically gets cut and falls in the sealed drop box of the VVPAT.
Baghel, the Congress candidate from Rajnandgaon, said he has approached the Chhattisgarh's chief electoral officer with his grievances.
"Similar complaints have been received from many other Lok Sabha constituencies. We are complaining to the State Election Officer. @ECISVEEP should answer under what circumstance the machines were changed and who will be responsible for any impact on the election result? The list of changed numbers of machines is very long but a small list is enclosed for your perusal," he added.
Rejecting his allegations, the returning officer of the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat said the complaint was baseless and beyond facts.
"After the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the first randomization of EVMs was done using the software provided by the ECI, and the machines were allotted assembly seat-wise and a list in this regard was provided to the recognized political parties," the returning officer said in a statement.
"The second randomization was done in front of the candidates contesting the elections and a signed list was provided to them. During the commissioning of EVMs, the machines which developed snag were replaced with those kept in reserve and a list of both faulty machines and machines installed in place of them was provided and an acknowledgement was received," said the statement.
The EVMs that malfunctioned during mock poll and actual voting were replaced with machines kept in reserve and its list was also given to all candidates, it said.
At polling stations, in the presence of polling agents of candidates, the machine's number address tag, 'matpatra lekha' 17C part 1, presiding officer's diary, mock poll certificate etc. are recorded in many documents, which can be matched during the counting of votes, said the statement.
"The presiding officer may have committed clerical errors. During the voting, only those machines were used whose list was provided to candidates from time to time. The entire process is completely transparent and agents and representatives of candidates were present at every level and observed it. Polling agents present at polling stations themselves sign various documents after seeing the EVM number," it said.
The returning officer said during vote count, clerical errors can be corrected by comparing the EVMs and documents.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
