AE among 3 Corpn staffers suspended for carrying EVMs on two-wheeler

Assistant engineer Senthil Kumar, conservancy supervisor Velankanni and conservancy worker Saravanan were placed under suspension based on the instructions by the Returning Officer after inquiry.

Sources said that AE Senthil Kumar was in charge of three booths at the DAV School in Velachery and after one of the VVPATs failed after 15 votes were polled, it was replaced by the spare VVPAT kept at AGM Higher Secondary School. After the polling, Senthil Kumar allegedly asked the two corporation staffers to bring the remaining two spare EVMs and the control unit to DAV School, when they were caught by the public.

For every 20 booths, two ballot units, a control unit and a VVPAT are given as spares to be replaced by the assigned units if they malfunctioned.

A senior police officer told DT Next that the election officials just informed the police about the incident and there was no complaint.