Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Audio message where a person can be heard complaining about the ballot button of the EVM not being activated by the polling official while casting a vote at booth no-17, located in 163-Shantinagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The Transcription of the audio is as follows, “Good morning, I just finished my voting and my district is 163-Shantinagar, the part number is 17, St. Anna Convent. Now when I went to the booth the first person took my part number to find out where I was in the register, the second person got to sign and the third person put the marking on the finger. Now please listen carefully at this point he is supposed to press the button on his master control unit to activate the actual voting machine, which is behind the hidden panels. So, I went in there and pressed the button but I did not hear any sound and didn’t hear the VVPAT machine showing the picture of my candidate. So I waited 10-15 seconds and pressed the button again and still there was no sound of VVPAT, the picture being displayed. So I got a little bit annoyed and went to the third person, whose job was to activate the voting machine by pressing the activate button on the control panel. I asked him why did not press the button and spoke with the presiding officer also. I said, ‘Do you think I come from a village or something?’ So my caution to you and your awareness is, when you get your finger marked make sure the third person activates the voting machine. After you physically recognise that he activates the machine then go to the voting area and press the button and the green light should be on. You will be able to see the green light is on both cases. The tragedy is I had seen the people before me in the line to leave the area with their markings and all and I had not heard any beep sounds from the machine. So what I’m requesting is please when you are at the third person please make sure that person has activated the voting machine. Then you can go behind the hidden panel and make sure the green light of the EVM is on. If that is not on then go back again and tell to put that on. You know the rest of the process.”
Newschecker also received such a claim on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), too, requesting it to be fact-checked.
Fact
Upon investigation, we found that the Election Commission has dismissed the claim of the viral audio as false and baseless.
The District Election Officer of Bengaluru has also confirmed the same, stating that no such case of non-activation of the ballot button has been reported from the said polling station on their X handle on April 26, 2024
News outlets like ANI, and the Deccan Herald also reported the incident quoting the Election Commission.
Conclusion
Thus it is clear that the allegation of the non-activation of a ballot unit by a polling official in a polling booth in Shantinagar, Bengaluru, is False.
Result: False
Source
X post by Election Commission, dated April 26, 2024
X post by The District Election Officer of Bengaluru, dated April 26, 2024
Report by ANI, and the Deccan Herald
Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
