A delegation of senior Congress leaders on Saturday submitted two memorandums with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in New Delhi raising issues related to EVM security, issue of round wise counting of votes, and other irregularities observed during the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections.

In one of the memorandums, the Congress leaders reported the movement of a school bus with no number plates carrying EVM machines to the office of the Sagar District Collector in Madhya Pradesh 48 hours after close of polling.

“The objective,” the Congress claimed in the memorandum, “ostensibly was to deposit these machines with the office of the Collector.”

The Congress said that the matter is not only suspicious but also surprising since all EVMs used in the election had been deposited in in strong rooms located in district headquarters.

“It is also interesting to note that the machines are, according to the Collector, from the area to which the BJP Home Minister in the State also belongs – Khuria,” said the Congress in its memorandum.

“This incident is a clear case of certain parties/individuals engaging in corrupt practices to manipulate the outcome of the recently concluded election,” alleged the Congress while demanding an inquiry.

In another memorandum, the Congress drew attention to alleged practices that it claimed have the potential of distorting the outcome of the elections in Chhattisgarh.

Accusing Chief Minister Raman Singh of violating the Model code of conduct, the Congress said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader held numerous meetings with district collectors of various districts during the period when code of conduct was in force.

During the period of the Model code of conduct, all administrative offices are under Election Commission.

The Congress also alleged that some district collectors used mobile phones inside counting rooms.

Commenting on round wise counting of votes, the Congress said that it has not been done properly in various state assembly elections.

The Congress leaders urged the EC that counting for each subsequent round should be allowed to begin only after the counting for the previous round has been concluded on all machines/counting tables.

Calling for segregation of EVMs and suggesting that they be kept off campus or in separate sealed rooms, the Congress said that unauthorised individuals in and around strong rooms leaves machines vulnerable to manipulation.

In its memorandum, the Congress also claimed that postal ballots cast by public servants and officials posted for election duty were lying undelivered in various post offices.

The memorandums were submitted by Congress leaders PL Punia, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Manish Tewari, Vivek Tankha, TS Singh Dev, Pranav Jha, and Ashok Dhahariya.

Election for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly was held on 12 November whereas election for the 230-seat MP Assembly was held on 28 November.