Voting at a polling center in Sagwara Municipality of Rajasthan's Dungarpur district was severely impacted following repeated technical glitches in an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) during the local civic elections. The malfunction was reported at the polling station located in Indira Colony School Number 1 within Ward Number 9. Shortly after the polling commenced in the morning, the EVM stopped functioning, causing multiple interruptions. The machine failed three times in quick succession, disrupting the voting process for nearly an hour and leading to long queues outside the booth, which ultimately forced several frustrated electors to leave without casting their votes.
Breakdown Occurred After 47 Votes Were Recorded
According to information from the polling booth, the voting process began normally early in the morning as citizens gathered to participate in the local election. By approximately 8:10 AM, a total of 47 votes had been successfully cast. However, the EVM suddenly turned off and stopped recording further votes. Polling officials on duty immediately intervened to rectify the situation and managed to reboot the equipment. Although voting resumed shortly after the initial fix, the relief for waitlisted voters turned out to be short-lived as technical troubles persisted.
Repeated Malfunctions Build Up Long Queues
Within minutes of restarting the machine, only about 10 to 15 additional votes could be cast before the EVM malfunctioned for a second time. Election staff again attempted to restart the system, but the machine broke down for a third time shortly thereafter. The recurrent failures generated significant anxiety and dissatisfaction among the queued citizens. Many voters had put aside their daily jobs and household responsibilities to reach the station early, only to find themselves waiting in expanding lines without clarity on when polling would resume.
Frustrated Citizens Forced to Leave Without Voting
As time stretched on and the machine remained unoperational, the queue outside the School Number 1 polling center grew steadily longer. Senior citizens, women, and daily-wage workers faced severe inconvenience due to the prolonged waiting period in cramped surroundings. Dismayed by the continuous delay and uncertain about when the issue would be resolved, a number of electors decided to abandon the queue and return home without exercising their franchise. Local residents expressed strong resentment toward the poll administration for failing to ensure machine reliability prior to opening the booth.
Fresh EVM Brought In to Restore Polling Process
Recognizing that the faulty unit could not be safely repaired on site, the election staff notified higher officials in the election department and requested an immediate replacement. The administration dispatched a new, tested reserve EVM unit to the Indira Colony polling station. After completing the mandatory setup, testing, and sealing protocols for the replacement machine, the voting process was officially restarted after a delay of nearly one hour. Following the deployment of the new unit, the remaining voters were able to cast their ballots smoothly.
