EVMs: Removal of DEO demanded

BHUBANESWAR: Several political leaders, including a former minister, have demanded removal of the district election officer (DEO) of Cuttack forthwith for deviating from the rules prescribed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the process of use of EVMs for by-election to the Athgarh Assembly constituency.In a memorandum to the Election Commission, the leaders alleged that the DEO has started training election personnel on March 6 while the randomisation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) was scheduled for the following day on March 7.But as per the handbook for candidates published by the ECI under caption, “schedule for randomisation of EVMs” it is prescribed that the DEO will fix the schedule which should be in any case before the start of training of polling personnel for randomisation of control units (CUs)/ballot units (BUs) for distribution to the Assembly constituency in the presence of the representatives of recognised political party, they said.They alleged that in this case randomisation of EVMs scheduled a day after commencement of training of polling personnel clearly shows the mala fide intention and scope for tampering of EVMs. They have requested the ECI to direct that another lot of voting machines be drawn from the strong room and the machines brought for the first-level checking on March 6 should not be used in election due to their vulnerable exposure.Former finance minister Panchanan Kanungo, former MLA Ratho Das, general secretary of the State Samajwadi Party Arun Kumar Jena, civil society members Rabi Das and Ashok Kumar Das were signatories to the memorandum.