HYDERABAD, 17 April 2004 — The Election Commission has withdrawn 45,000 ‘ballot papers’ meant for affixing on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies and 84 assembly segments and ordered reprinting of the papers.
The election authorities in the state were forced to take “corrective action” following a hue-and-cry raised by opposition parties that the Telugu Desam Party’s “cycle” symbol was printed prominently while the symbols of the Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI and CPI-M were hazy and smaller in size on the ballot papers pasted on the EVMs.
The authorities were taken aback when the Congress, TRS, and left party leaders lodged complaints with them, alleging that prominence given to the “cycle” symbol of the ruling party was unfair and in violation of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968.
They claimed that cycle symbol appeared larger and thickly highlighted and, on the contrary, the “hand” and symbols of other opposition parties were “thin and unclear.”
They demanded action to replace all such ballot papers pasted on the EVMs.
Chief Electoral Officer M. Narayana Rao convened an emergency meeting of all political parties and assured them that corrective steps were being taken.
The CEO ordered for reprinting 45,000 ballot papers (22,500 for Lok Sabha and 22,500 for assembly) pertaining to 12 Lok Sabha constituencies comprising 84 assembly segments. The Lok Sabha constituencies, spread across Telangana region, are Bhadrachalam, Khammam, Miryalguda, Nalgonda, Hanamkonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Medak, Siddipet, Mahbubnagar and Nagarkurnool.
These places are among 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and 147 assembly segments going to the polls in Phase I on April 20.
The CEO also ordered a probe into the “defect” in the printing and assured to take action against those found guilty at Hyderabad or at the Government Press at Kurnool where the defective ballot papers were printed. A preliminary inquiry by Commissioner for Printing and Stationery V. Dinesh Reddy revealed that the symbols were dull in one lot of ballot papers which were printed on April 6 using old blocks made for the elections in 1999.
