Yeddyurappa writes to Election Commission alleging foulplay in Karnataka elections

BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa has written to the Election Commission pointing out “grave irregularities” after eight boxes used for carrying Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were found at a temporary shed in a village in Karnataka's Vijayapura.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat, Yeddyurappa said the EC should take serious note of what he claimed were VVPAT machines and said it indicated “grave irregularities” in the conduct of assembly polls in the state.

“This incident has exposed the hollowness of the claim of the Election Commission that Assembly elections in Karnataka were held in a free and free manner," Yeddyurappa said.

He said prior to polling day BJP leaders and workers had brought many such irregularities to the notice of the concerned officials but in vain. The former Karnataka CM alleged that in many Assembly segments of Bidar and Kalaburagi districts, police officials themselves helped rival candidates to distribute money and liquor among the voters.