As Gwalior went to polls on Wednesday, extensive malfunctioning of EVMs emerged to be the biggest story from the polling arena in the early hours of the polling. The polling per cent in the district was recorded at 62.64, till the filing of the report.
Malfunctioning of EVMs has been reported from many polling booths in the Gwalior-Chambal Division where the polling for the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha began at 8 am. As per reports the number of EVM failures grew as the day progressed.
EVM machines failure has been reported from Polling Booth No 170 at Khetapati Colony, No 178 at Dabra, Booth No 72 at Bhind and 114 at Gohad.
EVM malfunctioning has also been reported from many other booths in the 6 constituencies. There have been reports that many of the polling officers and observers could not be reached as they had switched off their mobiles. The helpline number of the Chief Election Commissioner of India, 1950 too was unreachable.
Long queues could be seen in the polling booth in Khetapati in the early hours as polling could not start on time due to the malfunctioning of the machine.
Congress Campaign Committee Chief, Jyotiraditya Scindia cast his vote at AMI Shishu Mandir at 10.30 in the morning. Coming out of the polling booth he told the waiting pressmen that the exit of the corrupt and inefficient BJP government is a foregone certainty.
He also hugged and touched the feet of his aunt and BJP Minister Maya Singh when they met outside the polling booth.Scindia appealed to the CEC of India to immediately look into the matter of EVM malfunctioning across the state. In his letter he said that the number of EVM malfunctioning cases is a matter of great concern.
Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minster cast his vote in the morning. Afterwards he told the media persons that BJP will win with a thumping majority.
By and large the election day passed off peacefully in Gwalior as no major incidence of violence or turbulence was reported from anywhere in the city or surrounding areas.
The District Administration and the Police had made elaborate security arrangements to enable the public to cast their votes.
However, according to reports three people were arrested in connection with firing outside a polling booth in the Bhind Assembly constituency.
There are also reports that some mischief makers had broken an EVM machine at one of the polling stations in Bhind. Firing in the air by miscreants at Jauri village in Morena district too has been reported.
