EVMs recovered from Bihar hotel | Photo Credit: ANI

Muzzafarpur: In a shocking poll code violation incident, six Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were recovered from a hotel in Choti Kalyani area of Bihar’s Muzzafarpur during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state on Monday.

The sector magistrate, Avdesh Kumar had reportedly taken the EVM machines to the hotel as his driver wanted to cast his vote. Kumar was in-charge of four EMVs kept as a backup option in case any machine malfunctioned.

“The sector magistrate took the EMVs, VVPATs and a control unit to the hotel after his driver expressed his desire to vote,” District Collector Alok Ranjan Ghosh said.

Bihar:EVMs&VVPAT were found from a hotel in Muzaffarpur yesterday. Alok Ranjan Ghosh, DM says,"Sector officer was given some reserved machines so that it could be replaced with faulty ones. After replacing EVMs he was left with 2 balloting unit,1 control unit&2 VVPAT in his car." pic.twitter.com/KjpoKbHpCa — ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2019

After the news of the sector magistrate carrying the EVMs reached the party agents at the polling booth, the local Sub-Divisional officer (SDO) reached the hotel and seized the machines.

Briefing about the incident, Muzaffarpur district magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh said, "Sector officer was given some reserved machines so that it could be replaced with faulty ones. After replacing EVMs he was left with two balloting unit, one control unit and two VVPATs in his car."

Ghosh further said a departmental investigation will be done against the sector magistrate for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

“He shouldn't have unloaded the machines in the hotel. It is against rules. Since he has violated MCC, a departmental investigation will be done,” the district magistrate quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

A show cause notice has also been issued to Avdesh, seeking his explanation over the matter.

Five parliamentary seats of Bihar namely Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Hajipur went to polls on Monday.

In Bihar, there is a straight fight between the BJP-JD(U) alliance and the grand alliance led by RJD-Congress.