VVPAT slips found scattered in Bihar; EC claims mock-poll link, suspends official
VVPAT slips found on a road in Samastipur, Bihar, spark controversy amid Assembly polls; EC clarifies they were from a mock poll and suspends an ARO
Amid the ongoing Assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has come under scrutiny, one more time, after a large number of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips were found scattered on a roadside in Samastipur district on Saturday (November 8). The discovery made near a college in the Sarairanjan assembly segment, which went to polls in the first phase, triggered a political storm in the state.
Leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc expressed serious concern over the incident. The Congress demanded a formal explanation from the EC, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) questioned “on whose orders” the slips were thrown.
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Responding promptly to the incident, the EC clarified that the recovered slips were from a mock poll conducted earlier and not from the actual voting process. The mock polls were conducted before the actual voting in all the constituencies to test the EVM and VVPATs in the presence of representatives from all the parties.
The top poll body said it had taken immediate action by suspending an Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) and registering an FIR against him. The ECI also directed the district collector to visit the spot and conduct an inquiry.
Political controversy
The Rashtriya Janata Dal posted a video on X and asked, “When, how, why, and on whose orders were these slips thrown away?” It also demanded an answer from the EC. In a scathing attack against the EC, it said, “Is all this happening on the instructions of the democracy’s dacoits who have set up camp in Bihar after coming from outside?”
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The Congress also demanded a clarification from the EC. In an X post, it wrote, "VVPAT slips coming out of EVMs were found thrown on the road in Samastipur, Bihar. This incident is raising serious questions about the Election Commission. The Election Commission should clarify on whose orders the VVPAT slips were thrown?"
बिहार के समस्तीपुर में EVM से निकलने वाली VVPAT पर्चियां सड़क पर फेंकी हुई मिली हैं।
यह घटना चुनाव आयोग पर बड़े सवाल खड़े कर रही है।
चुनाव आयोग को बताना चाहिए कि किसके कहने पर VVPAT पर्चियों को फेंका गया? pic.twitter.com/1gDG5vMYTQ
EC's action
Following the incident, the EC, in a statement, clarified that VVPAT slips found on the road were from a mock poll. It reiterated that "the integrity of the polling process remains uncompromised. The contesting candidates have also been informed by the District Collector. However, the ARO is being suspended for negligence and an FIR is being registered against him," it said. An investigation has also been initiated, it added.
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Samastipur's District Collector Roshan Kushwaha, who went to the spot and recovered the slips, said that an FIR was registered and recommendations were sent for departmental inquiry against two officials for negligence in this matter.