Expressing its apprehension of "sabotage", the AAP on Tuesday urged the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) "to completely restrict any sort of activity within the compound where EVMs are stored in the state".
The Aam Aadmi Party's state Convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich and other leaders said that after Monday's incident at Patiala, where the Returning Officer allowed the shifting of old EVMs lying in the same complex where functional EVMs were stored, "the possibility of sabotage can't be ruled out".
They said that even though the Election Commission had clarified that EVMs removed by the district officials were those used in the municipal corporation elections, it was an "unusual and suspect action".
"The district authorities had no business entering the complex till the time election process is completed," Waraich said.
The AAP leader said about 15,000 AAP volunteers were monitoring the EVMs by giving guard duty 24x7 outside the buildings where the EVMs have been kept.
"They will stand guard to foil any attempt by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance to alter the process. Akali Dal leaders are frustrated over their imminent defeat and they can go to any extent to sabotage the EVMs. The EC should not allow any official to go beyond the first circle of security," Waraich said.
Elections to 117 assembly seats in Punjab were held on February 4 to decide the fate of 1,145 candidates in the fray. The main contest is among the Akali Dal-BJP combine, Congress and the AAP.
Punjab recorded 77.4 per cent voting from an electorate of 1.98 crore.
--IANS
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