Uttar Pradesh: EC official acknowledges "lapse in protocol"; Samajwadi Party tweets video

NDTV reported that after Akhilesh Yadav alleged that EVMs were “moved illegally in Varanasi 48 hours before the counting of votes”, Samajwadi Party’s Twitter handle shared a video where Varanasi’s Commissioner Deepak Agarwal acknowledges that there was a breach of protocol.

Agarwal told reporters, “If you talk about the protocol for the movement of EVMs, there was a lapse in the protocol, I accept that. But I can guarantee you, it is impossible to take away machines used in voting”. He added that there was high security at the counting centers in the form of CCTV cameras, political party representatives and security officials, and the EVMs that the SP chief referenced to were “only for training purposes”.

The party wrote on the micro-blogging site, “There is information of violations in EVMs from various districts. On whose order is this happening? Are officials under pressure from the Chief Minister's Office? The Election Commission must clarify."

This video emerged after Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the BJP was “trying to steal” the votes. Yadav said, “In Varanasi, we caught one truck with EVMs and two others fled. If the government is not trying to steal votes, then it should at least explain why there was no security while moving EVMs.” He added that the officials had also been ordered to “slow down the counting” at 47 seats, where BJP might lose.