The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to look into allegations that extra votes were recorded in favour of the BJP in EVMs during a mock poll in Kerala. A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta passed the oral direction during a hearing on pleas seeking verification of every vote cast through EVMs with VVPAT slips during elections.

The matter was brought to the Supreme Court's atention after advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), cited a media report on the complaints raised regarding the mock polls conducted in Kerala's Kasargod.

The report mentioned that the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala and the United Democratic Front (UDF) lodged complaints with the district collector that four EVMs had erroneously registered extra votes in favour of the BJP.

"There was a mock poll in Kasargod, Kerala. Four EVMs and VVPATs were recording one extra vote for BJP," Bhushan said citing the report.

The court then directed the ECI counsel to look into the issue.

Source: India Today