Huzurabad by-poll: Controversy over shifting of VVPAT in private car

Karimnagar: Shifting of a VVPAT in a private car from SRR college to a godown after the Huzurabad bypoll on Saturday night, has become a controversy with Congress candidate Balmuri Venkat Narsing Rao staged protest at counting centre.

A video of shifting VVPATs in a private vehicle went viral on social media. As per the video footage, a person, who came out from SRR college reception and counting centre carrying a VVPAT box, placed the box in a car parked in front of SRR college and left from the spot.

Somebody recorded the incident with a mobile phone and uploaded it on social media. Knowing about the incident, Congress candidate along with his followers rushed to the counting centre in the night and staged a protest. They entered into an argument with



police as the latter refused to allow them inside the counting centre.

Meanwhile, following a tyre-burst, a bus carrying EVMs and other polling material from polling stations near Jammikunta to the counting centre in Karimnagar, was stalled for some time to replace the tyre which in turn raised doubts among the political parties.

Responding to the issue, Huzurabad by-election returning officer Ch Ravinder Reddy condemned the rumours and asked the voters not to believe them. He explained that a non-functional VVPAT was shifted to godown in a polling officer’s vehicle. Before shifting it to the godown, the VVPAT was shifted from one officer’s vehicle to another officer’s vehicle parked in front of SRR reception and counting centre, he said.