The Election Commission today said news reports alleging large scale failure of EVMs and VVPATs in the ongoing bye-elections and interruption of poll in the states of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are exaggerated.

The EC clarified in an official release that during commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs, adequate number of reserves are prepared to replace any defective machine on poll day at the polling station.

It said these reserve poling machines are kept with Sector Officers, who replaces the defective EVMs or VVPATs, if any complaint is received.

Each Sector Officer is entrusted with only 10-12 polling stations, and the time taken to replace any EVM or VVPAT at a polling station is normally less than 30 minutes.

The Election Commission also said the replacement of defective EVMs and VVPATs during actual polls is a normal process and does not vitiate the integrity or credibility of the poll process in any way.

It further said that reports aired in some news channels of polling being cancelled in 35 booths in Bhandara-Gondiya Parliamentary Constituency in Maharashtra is baseless.

Also, the reports emerging about EVMs and VVPATs failing in 25 percent polling booths in the same Parliamentary Constituency are also incorrect.

The Commission said it undertakes a comprehensive examination and root-cause analysis of all the defects observed in the machines through its Technical Experts Committee.