Delhi man claims mismatch between vote cast by him and VVPAT slip; EC orders probe
New Delhi, May 13: The Election Commission on Monday asked the Delhi Chief Electoral Office to inquire into the allegations of a man who claimed that he was dissuaded from complaining about a mismatch between the vote cast by him and what reflected in the VVPAT machine.
The case pertains to a polling booth in the Matiala assembly segment of West Delhi.
"My VVPAT machine (Delhi, Matiala, Booth 96) printed the wrong symbol although the EVM machine red bulb glowed correctly. I complained to the presiding officer who directed me to nodal officer who then directed me to sector officer. All of them asked me not to complain I insisted (sic).
"They told me I'd be arrested under ipc sec 177. I found that strange because that section doesn't provide for arrest without court orders. I told them I'd submit a written complaint anyway. The senior most officer told me that I would have to write in Annexure 6.(2/n) (sic)," Milan Gupta tweeted.
Taking cognisance of his grievance, Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa tweeted, "CEO Delhi has been asked to inquire."
Narrating the incident on social media, Gupta said he even agreed for a test vote, which started at around 6 pm while he had complained one and a half hours ago.
Voting was also not stopped as per rules, Gupta alleged, claiming that he was even pressured to withdraw the complaint.
"I stood in front of the EVM, closed my eyes and looked up & randomly scrolled my fingers blindly on the EVM. The witnesses saw that by doing this I wasn't intending to reveal my earlier secret vote in this testing procedure. (7/n)
"My fingers stopped at some bricks symbol (independent candidate, I think). I pressed it. The VVPAT printed the bricks symbol in next few seconds. The officer then announced that I proved myself wrong, & I said that you asked me to select randomly and I did that (8/n).
"This bricks symbol wasn't my secret vote cast earlier as I wouldn't reveal my earlier vote during the test (video recorded) as well. He said nothing doing you're now going to be arrested. I said well, do that. He then asked the police to arrest me. The police did not but.. (9/n)" he tweeted.
Gupta said he was also taken to Dwarka sector 9 police station, but the police were unaware of what action should be taken against him.
His ordeal was finally over after police dropped him home. Gupta added.
Sharing the copy of my complaint which many have been asking for. Police had kept even this copy of mine with them & returned it today upon my insistence. You can see section 177 written on it. It's non-cognisable (can't detain without court orders) and yet I was detained. pic.twitter.com/d5XRIKqqm5
— Milan Gupta (@gupta_milan) May 13, 2019
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Bengal polls: TMC seeks removal of Bhabanipur poll official, alleges proximity with BJP's Suvendu
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Kolkata (PTI): The TMC sought the immediate removal of the returning officer for the Bhabanipur assembly constituency in West Bengal, alleging he has proximity with BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari.
In a representation submitted to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday, the ruling party raised objections to the appointment of RO for the Bhabanipur seat in southern Kolkata.
The party alleged that the returning officer has a “documented and close association” with Adhikari, who is contesting from Bhabanipur against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Adhikari is also in the electoral fray from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.
According to the complaint, the RO had earlier served as block development officer in Nandigram-II, where his proximity to Adhikari was allegedly visible in public engagements.
The TMC claimed that such an association creates a “reasonable apprehension of bias” and "compromises the neutrality" required for conducting elections.
The party also questioned the RO's current posting as additional director of land records, stating that the position is typically held by more senior officers.
The TMC alleged that his appointment to the role, particularly ahead of elections, raises concerns of “preferential and motivated deployment”.
Emphasising the critical role of a returning officer, the TMC said the official is responsible for key electoral processes, including nomination scrutiny, conduct of polling and declaration of results, and therefore must be “unimpeachably neutral”.
Citing Article 324 of the Constitution and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, the Trinamool Congress argued that the Election Commission is duty-bound to ensure free and fair polls by appointing officers without any perceived bias.
On 24th March, we formally wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner and CEO, West Bengal, flagging serious concerns over the appointment of Surajit Roy as Returning Officer for Bhabanipur.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 3, 2026
We presented clear evidence of his close ties with Suvendu Adhikari from his days as BDO,… pic.twitter.com/i6Rybh4xDt
The party also referred to the Model Code of Conduct, which mandates administrative neutrality, and alleged that the RO's continuation violates these principles.
The TMC representation noted that the Election Commission had earlier sought a panel of three alternative officers from the state government, following a complaint lodged on March 24.
While the state complied, no decision has yet been taken to replace the RO, the letter, signed by senior TMC leaders Shashi Panja, Aroop Biswas, Baiswanor Chattopadhyay, claimed.
Calling the situation "constitutionally untenable" and "electorally dangerous", the TMC urged the EC to take "immediate, reasoned and transparent action to ensure the integrity of the electoral process".
