LS Polls: WhatsApp Audio on Ballot Error in Bengaluru Goes Viral, ECI Responds With Fact Check

As phase 2 of the Lok Sabha Election concluded successfully, the Election Commission of India on Saturday issued clarification regarding reports of alleged ballot error in a polling booth in Bengaluru’s Shantinagar constituency in Karnataka.

The ECI has ruled out any ballot error and stated that such reports circulating on social media are false and baseless. The poll body stated, “Reports of alleged non-activation of a ballot unit by a polling official in a polling booth in Shantinagar in Bengaluru, circulating on social media & WhatsApp as an audio message are incorrect & baseless. The correct position has been outlined below by DEO, after due enquiry.”

The clarification came after the the District Electoral Officer, BBMP had received an audio complaint that the ballot button was not activated in the control unit during the time of casting the vote in Shantinagar.

However, the Sector Magistrate immediately reached the polling station to report the issue upon receiving the complaint and found that the total entries in register 17A and the Control Unit were perfectly tallied. This indicated that no such case of non-activation of the BALLOT button occurred at the said polling station.

“The same has been confirmed by the Assistant Returning Officer concerned. Hence, the narration in the said audio recording is far from the truth, baseless,” the DEO added.

In a separate incident, a 26-year-old man allegedly damaged an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) by hitting it with an iron object when he came to cast his vote at a polling booth at Rampuri in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Friday, a police official said.

The police detained the man, who told them that he wanted a pro-farmer and pro-labourer government, he said.

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Phase 2 Ended With Over 63% Voter Turnout

Over 63 per cent polling was reported in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 88 seats across 13 states amid few complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting in some states.

Voters in some villages of Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, Rajasthan’s Banswara and Maharashtra’s Parbhani were boycotting the polls over various issues but were later persuaded by authorities to cast their franchise.

Polling for the second stage of the seven-phase elections started at 7 am and ended at 6 pm. Several states experienced intense heat conditions. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 in 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories.

Explore Live updates on the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 News . Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.