THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Malfunctioning of digital voting machines (EVM) disrupted polling for a short interval at a number of cubicles in constituencies throughout the state. Whereas polls opened late in some cubicles on account of EVM glitches, at another locations voting was delayed for a few hours. Polling in these locations resumed solely after the EVMs have been changed.
Voting couldn’t start on the scheduled hour of 7am within the polling sales space at Poyya LP College in Thrissur, following EVM snag, whereas polling was stopped for a short interval on the polling station in Kattachakonam GHS in Kazhakoottam constituency on account of a technical snag. Equally, voting was affected on the Neeramankara Ladies’s Polytechnic Faculty in Nemom constituency after the voting machine developed a technical snag. Voting was additionally disrupted for 2 hours at cubicles quantity 15 and 15 A of Authorities BTS LP College, Edappally on account of EVM snag. Later, polling resumed by 9am.
In accordance with official figures, as many as 150 poll items, 150 management items, and 747 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Path (VVPAT) machines developed technical snags, whereas 4 poll items, 4 management items and 33 VVPAT machines encountered technical glitches in the course of the Malappuram Lok Sabha byelections. This may come to round 0.3% of the overall poll items and management machines and 1.6% of VVPAT pressed for election objective.
