Hyderabad: Chief Electoral Officer for Telangana state Dr Rajat Kumar on Tuesday urged citizens not to trust fake news aimed at maligning the Election Commission which is circulating on social media and said stringent action would be taken on those indulging in the practice. He said the EC had verified all incidents reported on social media and found them to be fake. He rubbished reports of the EVMs being transported in autorickshaws and being found in houses of TRS leaders.
Explaining the process by which the EVMs are transported to the strong rooms, where they will be stored till the counting day on May 23, he said there were legal provisions to initiate stringent action against those found guilty of spreading fake news to undermine the efforts of the EC.
Dr Kumar said at the close of voting, the presiding officer submits two registers to the Returning Officer — Form 17A, containing names, contact details and identities of voters who cast their votes and Form 17C, a two-page report containing the number of voters who cast their votes. A copy of Form 17C is presented to polling agents or representatives of political parties.
EVMs and VVPATs are deposited at reception centres from where they are transported to strongrooms according to the respective categories, including polled, not polled, and those replaced during voting. “The entire process was conducted under CCTV surveillance and a tight cordon of state and central security forces, in the presence of observers and representatives of political parties,” Dr Kumar said.
