Voter booked for making false allegation about EVM glitches

A man was booked for allegedly raising a false complaint against the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Tuesday. Abin Babu, the complainant, claimed that the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine indicated the symbol of another party instead of the party he had voted for at the booth number 151 in Vattiyoorkavu of the Thiruvananthapuram Parliamentary constituency.

He alleged that his vote was registered to another candidate against his choice. The presiding officer then allowed him to cast a test vote by invoking rule 49 (MA) of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, in the presence of election agents and other officials.

The complainant's allegation was proved wrong after the verification of the test vote. He was handed over to the police and booked under section 177 of the Indian Penal Code for furnishing false information to a public servant.