A dispute arose at the Khadakwasla assembly seat in Pune on Friday during the EVM inspection when NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) candidate Sachin Dodke halted the election process, demanding a count of the VVPAT slips. Dodke, who lost to BJP candidate Bhimrao Tapkir in the November 2024 assembly elections, had requested a re-examination of the EVMs and VVPATs at two polling stations. The Election Commission initiated the investigation process based on his request, but the process was stalled due to an objection regarding the VVPAT.
Candidate's Objection and Warning to Go to Court
Sachin Dodke stated that during the EVM inspection, he was only shown the final result of the machine, while he had explicitly demanded a count of the VVPAT slips. Dodke said, "We expected that along with the EVMs, the VVPAT slips would also be recounted. If the Election Commission does not listen to us, we will take legal recourse." He also submitted a written application to the administration in this regard and stopped the entire process midway.
Election Officer Clarifies
Election Officer Yashwant Mane explained that on Dodke's demand, the 'burnt memory' of the EVM machines at two polling stations was examined. In this process, the machine's memory and election results were shown in the presence of the candidate. Mane said that the next stage was a mock poll, which involves counting the VVPATs, but it is necessary to delete the old data from the machine for this. Dodke did not allow the data to be erased, due to which the mock poll could not be conducted and the commission considered the process complete in its current state.
Demand for Re-Counting of VVPAT Unjustified
Election Officer Mane clarified that the counting of random VVPAT slips has already been done under the prescribed procedure on the day of the vote count. In such a situation, there is no justification for a recount now. The inspection carried out on Friday was only to ensure that there was no tampering with the EVMs. According to the Commission, the entire process has already been completed under the rules.
