On voting-day, man torches 3 EVMs at Maharashtra's Sangola village polling booth

Solapur, May 7 (IANS) In a shocker, a man poured petrol and set afire at least three electronic voting machines at a polling station in Maharashtra's Bagalwadi village of the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, here on Tuesday afternoon. 

According to officials, around 1 p.m., the man barged into the polling station with a bottle of petrol, poured it on at least three EVMs there and set them afire, shocking the other voters and the on-duty election officials there.

He was reportedly shouting slogans like 'Jai Maratha', 'Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha', etc, before rushing out, but was apprehended by the police security deployed outside the polling booth.

Simultaneously, some election officials quickly brought a can of water and doused the burning equipment, but at least three EVMs were seen rendered useless, even as videos of the incident went viral on social media.

The election process was halted briefly as the booth officials managed to get replacements for the burnt EVMs, and resumed the voting, said an official, but further details were awaited.

The police arrested the youth and he was taken away for further investigations, and the motive behind his act could not be ascertained.

Meanwhile, police security was further tightened outside the Bagalwadi polling station and the voting continued without further problems.

--IANS

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