Madikeri, June 26: Alleging that the EVMs used in the constituency for Assembly election might have hacked, Congress defeated candidate from Virajpet CS Arun Machaiah that the votes polled in the constituency should be counted again along with the VVPAT.

Before submitting a memorandum to the Central Election Commissioner and State Election Officer through the district Returning Officer demanding recounting of votes here on Tuesday, he told media persons that he would obey the verdict of the people. But the election held through EVMs would not be a transparent one. He was ready to prove the EVMs hacking from technical experts, he said.

The Constituency has 269 polling stations and as per the survey conducted by him and his party workers after the election, he should have won the election by a margin of 9000 votes. But during the counting, his opponent candidate won the election with a huge margin of votes and it created suspicion of hacking. As there is a norm that any objections regarding election should be filed within 45 days, he collected the complete details for one month and complained to the Central Election Commission and State Election Chief Officer, he said.

The developed countries like USA, Italy, Netherland, Germany and others have proved that EVMs are not transparent. Though the EVMs were improvised in view of this opinion, the central government had accepted that the EVM2 used in the previous elections were not reliable. Moreover, the Central Government had assured the Supreme Court of using EVM 3 in next elections. But in Karnataka Assembly elections, the Election Commission had used EVM2 and this led to suspicion, he said.

Though Karnataka had more than 12.50 lakh EVM2, the central government had supplied EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat elections to Karnataka. After bringing them to Karnataka, the EVMs were kept in the National Institute of Engineering of Mysuru, which also raised concerns. He is suspected that a professor with the help of a team of engineers ‘manipulated’ the EVMs, he alleged.

Giving an example of luring someone to hack the EVM at a constituency in Mysuru, Arun Machaiah said that such persons might have hacked the EVMs in Kodagu and he has some information that such people were absconding. Now, the Cyber Crime officials have been investigating, he said.

Experts are of the opinion that microchips could be installed in EVM2 and the votes registered in such machines could be transferred to other person remotely. In view of this, the Election Commission should recount the votes recorded in the EVM and registered in the VVPAT. He would also move the High Court demanding action against the culprits for misusing the EVMs. Same complaints would be lodged from Mangaluru, Mysuru and other constituencies, he said.

District Congress spokesperson Tatu Monnappa, Virajpet Block president RK Salam, Napoklu Block president BS Ramanath and Ponnampet Block president Dharmaja Uthappa were present at the press conference.

 

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Balasore (Odisha) (PTI): In a raid by police teams from Hyderabad and Odisha, a huge amount of cash was recovered from a heap of cow dung at a village in Balasore district, an officer said on Saturday.

The recovery was made at Badamandaruni village under the Kamarda police station limits, he said.

A team of police officials from Hyderabad and Odisha reached the village and raided the house of the in-laws of accused Gopal Behera.

Gopal, who is absconding at present, worked in an agro-based company in Hyderabad and he had allegedly stolen more than Rs 20 lakhs from the company locker.

He allegedly sent the money to the village through his brother-in-law Rabindra Behera.

Acting on a complaint, a team of Hyderabad Police with Kamarda police raided Rabindra’s house and recovered a huge amount of money concealed in a heap of cow dung.

Kamarda police station IIC Premada Nayak said both Gopal and his brother-in-law Rabindra are absconding.

Still, one of their family members from the village has been detained, and an investigation is underway, the officer added.