EC rejects Sena's claim on faulty EVMs leading to loss of its candidate in Palghar bypoll

The Election Commission today rejected allegations levelled by the Shiv Sena that irregularities in electronic voting machines led to the defeat of its candidate in the Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll today saying the winning BJP candidate has been issued a certificate.

The PIB put out a tweet quoting the Commission that news reports on alleged large scale failure of EVMs and VVPATs are exaggerated projection.

"The Commission undertakes an examination and root-cause analysis of all the defects and necessary actions are being taken for smooth conduct of poll process," the tweet said.

The EC does not have its own Twitter handle.

Quoting chief electoral officer of Maharashtra, an EC spokesperson said the election process for Palghar constituency has been completed and the returning officer there has rejected a plea of Sena candidate for a recount.

The spokesperson said the winning BJP candidate has been issued with a certificate by the returning officer.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray earlier asked opposition parties to "unitedly boycott" elections if controversies surrounding electronic voting machines are not resolved quickly.

He also threatened to drag the Election Commission to court over the Palghar bypoll result and sought suspension of election officers over the "sudden increase" in voting percentage there.

"From the last several days and even on the election day, there were complaints regarding irregularities in EVMs. Does the Election Commission even have a control over the election process? EVMs had malfunctioned in several places and people could not exercise their right to vote," he said.

He also sought a clarification on the "sudden increase" in voter turnout a day after the Palghar bypoll.

"The election officials concerned should be suspended for discrepancies in voter turnout percentage," Thackeray said.