Maharashtra: Man tries to set EVM on fire at polling station in Madha constituency

A voter allegedly tried to set an EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) on fire in Sangola tehsil of Solapur district when polling was underway for Madha Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra on Tuesday, 7 May an official said.

No damage was caused to the ballot unit, VVPT unit and control unit but the EVM was replaced, he said, adding there was no need for repolling at the concerned polling station.

The voter was taken into police custody.

The incident occurred at a Badalwadi polling station in Sangola tehsil.

"A voter tried to set an EVM machine on fire in a polling booth number 86 at Badalwadi. The incident left a ballot unit slightly blackened, however, all three apparatus- ballot unit, control unit and VVPAT were intact and safe and it did not affect the polling process," said Solapur district collector Kumar Ashirwad.

The collector said poll officials replaced the EVM with a new one to rule out any scope for doubt.

"After replacing the EVM, the polling continued peacefully. The person, who tried to set the EVM on fire, was taken into custody by police for further probe," he said.

He said the votes recorded in the affected EVM are intact and can be counted. " Thus there is no need for re-polling at the polling station".

A police official said the man carried some inflammable substance with him and tried to start fire. He was immediately overpowered by security personnel at the polling station.

According to the official, the man is a Maratha quota supporter.

Polling was held in 11 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the third phase on Tuesday.

In Madha, BJP's sitting MP Ranjit Naik-Nimbalkar is locked in a close fight with Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).