Malayalam news channels spread fake news over EVM: One arrested for making false allegations against EVM

Deliberate utterances that “EVM is faulty” are heard again from selected polling booths in Kerala. The first shout came from Chowwara’s 151st booth in Kovalam area, Tiruvananthapuram LS constituency. Complaints echoed in Malayalam channel rooms hence spread among lakhs of viewers. The fake news spread was inflammatory: ‘Whichever button is pressed, it goes to lotus, the BJP symbol’. The allegation was ruled out by the State Election Officer Tikkaram Meena. He said, it is a baseless rumour. He warned strict legal actions against rumourmongers.

Tiruvananthapuram district collector told the media that machine cannot be tempered with as alleged. And, it is technically and technologically impossible. The only issue was about some machines with buttons, which do not press properly. Such machines were replaced immediately. BJP leader K. Surendran, Pathanamthitta LS candidate, had complained about the same issue that button does not press properly; then some media made attempts to twist his words that the pressed button votes for a different party symbol.

A voter namely Abin Babu, who raised false complaint that the vote he polled in booth number 151 of Vattiyoorkkavu Assembly Constituency in Thiruvananthapuram HPC has gone to another candidate, was arrested after his allegation proved to be wrong when he was allowed to caste test vote. Thiruvananthapuram Collector Dr K Vasuki said in a Facebook post that ‘the person was handed over to police and he was book under section 177 of Indian penal code for furnishing false information to a public servant.’

When one observes the allegations, it is obvious that the allegations started from Tiruvananthapuram where BJP leader and former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan is all set to win. Next ‘lie manufacturing centre’ is Alappuzha, where BJP candidate Dr. K.S. Radhakrishnan, former VC of Sree Sankararcharya University of Sankrit, Kalati and former Kerala PSC Chairman, is likely to spring surprise. It is a cheap and obsolete method of repetition of Goebbelsian theory which was spread in Uttar Bharat during 2014 elections as Narendara Modiji was a sure bet to rule the country. And, they all went with the wind as CEC and even supreme court did not accept it. Therefore, what we hear from Tiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha are nothing but “application for anticipatory bail” in view of the imminent defeat awaiting the complainants.