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This story is from December 10, 2017

Gujarat phase-1: EC rubbishes reports of EVM tampering via Bluetooth

Close to 68% of the 2.12 crore voters exercised their franchise in the first phase of the assembly polls held in 89 seats of Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat districts on Saturday. Gujarat chief electoral officer (CEO) B B Swain said the updated figure is likely to be close to the 71.8% turnout in the 2012 polls in these seats.
Gujarat phase-1: EC rubbishes reports of EVM tampering via Bluetooth
Key Highlights
  • Former state Cong chief Arjun Modhvadia claimed EVMs were connected with external devices through Bluetooth at three polling booths in Porbandar
  • After an inquiry, EC found the apprehension baseless
  • 68% polling was reported for the first phase of assembly elections in Gujarat
RAJKOT/SURAT/GANDHINAGAR: Close to 68% of the 2.12 crore voters exercised their franchise in the first phase of the assembly polls held in 89 seats of Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat districts on Saturday. Gujarat chief electoral officer (CEO) B B Swain said the updated figure is likely to be close to the 71.8% turnout in the 2012 polls in these seats.
Saturday's voting is widely seen as a litmus test for BJP in Saurashtra, where the party is wary of an aggressive anti-government campaign launched by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel.
A huge turnout was reported in Patidar-dominated areas in Surat and Saurashtra where voters beat the morning chill to queue up outside polling stations. The early morning queues in chief minister Vijay Rupani's Rajkot (West) constituency were unprecedented.
Nearly 100 electronic voting machines (EVMs) were found to have technical glitches and were replaced. Congress functionaries alleged that the voting machines were tampered with in some booths in Porbandar, Navsari and Rajkot.
Barring two incidents of clashes near Sayla town and in Dhoraji, polling was peaceful in all the 19 districts.
Morbi and Navsari districts recorded the highest polling with 75%, followed by Narmada and Tapi in south Gujarat, which witnessed 73% turnout.
While a large number of first-time voters exercised their franchise, there was enthusiasm also among veterans, who included 115-year-old Ajiben Chandravadiya in Upleta.
Apart from Rupani, the first phase also sealed the fate of state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, AICC spokesman Shaktisinh Gohil, former state Congress president Arjun Modhwadia and tribal strongman Chhotu Vasava.

Modhwadia, who is contesting from Porbandar, claimed the EVMs were connected with external devices like mobile phones through Bluetooth at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of the town.
"The chips fitted in EVMs appear to be programmable using Bluetooth and this raises the possibility of tampering. The voting system should be immune to such connectivity to external devices," he said.
However, after conducting an inquiry, EC found the apprehension about tampering through Bluetooth technology baseless. "The device which the complainant's mobile phone detected after putting the Bluetooth on was not an EVM, but a mobile phone carried by a polling agent," EC said.
Swain told reporters that the mobile phone of the complainant detected a device showing as "ECO 105". "ECO 105 was feared to be the EVM at the polling booth, giving rise to the fear of possible tampering through Bluetooth technology," Swain said.
A similar complaint was flagged in Jalalpore constituency in Navsari district, but that too was found to be baseless. The collector and observer were sent to the booths from where complaints were received and the complainant was also called. An inquiry was conducted in front of the local media. A report submitted by the district election officer said a polling agent was carrying a mobile phone of Intex company bearing model number ECO 105, Swain said.
In Rajkot, Congress demanded re-polling in some booths of Rajkot (West) constituency alleging that EVMs were tampered with through Wi-Fi.
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