DUSU polls: How can you procure EVMs privately, Arvind Kejriwal asks EC on row over faulty machines

The RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad won three of four seats in DUSU polls while the Congress-affiliated NSUI took one post.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioned the Election Commission after the poll body distanced itself from the row over faulty electronic voting machines in Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections which were held on Thursday. 

Kejriwal questioned as to how can the EVMs be privately procured for use. "From where can you procure EVMs privately? Doesn`t ECI claim that no one can manufacture or buy or sell EVMs privately? Isn`t anyone found in possession of EVMs without EC`s permission guilty of criminal offence?" he asked in a tweet.

From where can u procure EVMs privately? Doesn’t ECI claim that no one can manufacture or buy or sell EVMs privately? Isn’t anyone found in possession of EVMs without EC’s permission guilty of criminal offence? pic.twitter.com/f0BION58w0 — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 14, 2018

The RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three of four seats in DUSU polls while the Congress-affiliated NSUI took one post. The Aam Aadmi Party-affiliated CYSS, which fought in alliance with AISA, came third.

The Delhi State Election Commission had on Thursday said that it did not issue any EVM to Delhi University. "The EVMs in question is not of Election Commission as no such EVMs have been allotted /issued to Delhi University by this office. It was also confirmed from the State Election Commission that no such machines have been given by them too. It seems that the Delhi University has procured these machines privately. A detailed report in this regard will be sent subsequently as all the officials of Delhi University are not available and busy in their election process at present," a statement from the office of Delhi's chief electoral officer said.

The counting had to be suspended on Thursday for few hours following a glitch in the EVMs but was resumed in the evening amid heavy police deployment. The NSUI demanded fresh polling, while the ABVP had demanded resumption of counting. 

"There are only 8 candidates so how is it possible that votes were cast to a 10th candidate? All machines were fine yesterday. Police and administration are involved in this," Fairoz Khan, NSUI president, had alleged.