‘Every time...’: Priyanka Gandhi after reports of EVMs in BJP leader’s car

The second phase of the Assam Assembly Election 2021 was held in 39 constituencies across 13 districts on Thursday.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to manipulate polling and called for a "serious re-evaluation of the use of EVMs" by all national parties after a video surfaced on social media allegedly showing electronic voting machines in what was claimed to be the car of the BJP’s candidate in Assam’s Barak Valley region on Thursday. The machines were allegedly found in the car of BJP’s member of legislative assembly Krishnendu Paul sparking violence in Patharkandi of Karimganj district of the poll-bound northeastern state.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that “every time there is an election, videos of private vehicles caught transporting EVMs show up”. (PTI Photo)

The second phase of the Assam Assembly Election 2021 was held in 39 constituencies across 13 districts on Thursday. Nearly 77.21% of over 7.3 million voters turned out to vote across these constituencies as violence was reported as six people were injured in Cachar and Darrang districts.

Gandhi, in a series of tweets, said “every time there is an election, videos of private vehicles caught transporting EVMs show up”. "Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common: 1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates. 2. The videos are taken as one off incidents and dismissed as aberrations 3. The BJP uses its media machinery to accuse those who exposed the videos as sore losers," the Congress general secretary said in one of the posts and tagged the video tweeted by a Guwahati-based journalist.

Gandhi said the “fact is that too many such incidents are being reported and nothing is being done about them”. “The EC needs to start acting decisively on these complaints and a serious re-evaluation of the use of EVM’s needs to be carried out by all national parties,” she added.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video or the claim. Election officials are yet to comment about the incident.

The Congress' Gaurav Gogoi also tweeted late on Thursday, saying “the incident this is the only way the BJP can win Assam". And on Friday, Gogoi said it is the same script in every election. “It is the same script in every election- Election Commission car broke down, EVM machines transferred to car belonging to BJP, later officials find out after public express their anger. Election Commission needs to save itself before public trust is eroded completely,” he tweeted.

According to news agency ANI, a first information report (FIR) has been lodged against unknown persons after they attacked the. The agency cited sources as saying that the EVM was being carried in the car after the poll body’s vehicle broke down and officials took a lift in the passing car.

"Last night, a polled EVM machine were being taken in Patharkandi Vidhan Sabha, Assam when a crowd intercepted it as the car didn't belong to Election Commission. The EC car had broken down and officials took a lift in a passing car that was later identified as belonging to a BJP candidate," ANI quoted a source as saying. "Further investigations are on about the sequence of events, the EVM was not tampered with during the crowd attack and is in the custody of the administration," ANI’s source added.

The third and final phase of polling in Assam assembly elections will be held on April 6. Votes will be counted on May 2.