ECI accepts BJD MLA candidate Dipali Das’ request for verification of EVMs in Jharsuguda

Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has accepted the appeal of Dipali Das, the BJD MLA candidate from Jharsuguda, for EVM/VVPAT memory verification in her constituency in Odisha.

After winning the bypoll in 2023 following the demise of her father and then health minister Naba Das, Dipali lost the recently concluded elections to BJP’s Tankadhar Tripathy by 1,333 votes from Jharsuguda, which also saw 1,297 Nota votes.

Accepting her application, the ECI has given permission for checking and verification of 13 polling stations in Jharsuguda.

“It is not that I am unhappy with the results, but as a candidate, it is my right to seek verification of EVMs as I suspect irregularities in some booths,” Dipali told reporter while mentioning about a Supreme Court order for rechecking of 5% of EVMs per assembly segment.

A total of 8 applications for the General Election to Lok Sabha 2024 and 3 applications for General Election to State Legislative Assemblies – BJD in Jharsuguda and YSRCP in Gajapathinagaram and Ongole, across 26 polling stations, – were received for checking/verification of burnt memory/microcontroller of EVMs post the announcement of results.

“According to the standard operating procedure issued and the legal position, checking and verification process can be initiated within 4 weeks of verification of status of Election Petition filed in the respective constituencies from the Registrars of the respective High Courts by CEOs,” the notification said.

The technical Standard Operating Procedure enumerating the methodology and steps for checking and verification of burnt memory/microcontroller of EVM units will be issued by the Commission in due course before the end of election petition period of July 19, it added.