Madha Lok Sabha: Youth Attempts To Set EVM On Fire At Bagalwadi Polling Booth
Madha Lok Sabha: Youth Attempts To Set EVM On Fire At Bagalwadi Polling Booth
Quick intervention by vigilant polling staff prevents fire from escalating, as youth set the EVM machine on fire.
8 May 2024
By Payoshi Bisht
A brazen act of sabotage disrupted proceedings at a Bagalwadi village polling booth in the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, as a young man from Sangola, identified as Dadasaheb Kelekar, attempted to set fire to an electronic voting machine (EVM) using petrol.
Madha Lok Sabha: Youth Attempts To Set EVM On Fire At Bagalwadi Polling Booth
— Pune Pulse (@pulse_pune) May 8, 2024
Quick intervention by vigilant polling staff prevents fire from escalating, as youth set the EVM machine on fire.
A brazen act of sabotage disrupted proceedings at a Bagalwadi village polling booth in… pic.twitter.com/wK5kNnYQtX
The incident unfolded around 12:30 pm on Tuesday when Kelekar, amidst exercising his franchise at booth number 86, started pouring petrol onto the EVM and ignited it. Consequently, the disruption prompted a temporary halt in voting operations at the affected booth.
Government personnel deployed at the scene quickly grabbed the perpetrator and subsequently handed him over to law enforcement authorities. Kelekar’s motives appear to stem from reported frustrations over the controversial Maratha reservation issue, according to Police reports. Monika Singh, election officer for the Madha Lok Sabha Constituency stated that, “A man attempted to set fire to a ballot unit at polling booth number 86 in Bagalwadi village within the Sangola legislative assembly constituency. Fortunately, the prompt actions of poll officials prevented extensive damage, with the control unit and VVPAT remaining unscathed. Polling activities resumed swiftly following thorough checks and mock polls.”
Kumar Ashirwad, Solapur district collector, affirmed that the incident did not warrant a repoll at the affected booth. “The voting unit functioned normally post-incident,” Ashirwad confirmed, alleviating fears of disruptions to the electoral process.
