Lok Sabha elections: Model Code violations galore on polling day in Karnataka
BENGALURU/RAICHUR: The second phase of polling in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in North Karnataka went off peacefully on Tuesday without any major incident. Officials concerned, however, registered many cases of poll code violations and also arrested a Congress agent at one of the polling booths for allegedly destroying a control unit of the voting machine.
According to an official, Gurunath, a Congress party candidate’s agent at a polling booth in Sohrapur taluk in Raichur district, was upset as BJP agents were asking the people visiting the booth to vote for their party candidate. He destroyed the control unit of the EVM.
EC seeks a report on poll code violation by Kharge
The Election Commission has sought a report from the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner on alleged poll code violation by senior Congress leader and the party candidate Mallikarjun Kharge. The BJP had filed a complaint with the office of Chief Electoral Officer accusing the Congress leader of violating the poll code as he and his wife had cast their votes together at a polling booth in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.
The BJP in its complaint to the CEO stated that it was in violation of norms as the code of conduct mandates that only one person can go near the ballot machine to vote to maintain secrecy. Kalaburagi DC R Venkatesh Kumar said he will submit the report to the CEO’s office after getting details from the officials, who were present at the polling booth. Despite directions from the Election Commission, many voters recorded the voting process and posted the videos on social media. Cases have been registered against such miscreants for violating the model code of conduct.
In Budugumpa village in Koppal district, a voter took photograph of the VVPAT machine and posted it on social media. Cases were also registered against two youth Congress leaders from Hubballi and three voters in Koppal district for recording voting process and posting it on social media platform. In Raichur district, a video of blue mark near BJP symbol on an EVM machine went viral on social media. Officials concerned later claimed that they had identified the person and action has been taken against him. They also said that they are probing into the presence of blue mark on the EVM.