# EVM Breakdown Thrice Halts Dungarpur Civic Polls in Sagwara, Frustrated Voters Return Without Voting

> Voting at a polling booth in Ward 9 of Sagwara Municipality in Dungarpur, Rajasthan was halted for nearly an hour due to repeated EVM technical glitches, forcing several voters to leave.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Rajasthan · **Published:** 2026-09-11 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/rajasthan/dungarpur-nikaya-chunava-sagwara-ke-polinga-butha-para-3-bara-bnda-hui-evm-bina-vota-dale-laute-kai-nagarika-31161 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Dungarpur News, Sagwara Elections, EVM Malfunction, Rajasthan Civic Polls, Rajasthan News, Polling Disruption

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.

## What this means for you
This incident at the Sagwara civic election in Dungarpur highlights the practical inconveniences faced by voters when election technology fails on polling day.

- **Across Rajasthan:** The election department will need to enforce stricter pre-poll testing standards and deploy faster backup units during municipal elections. This will prevent widespread disruption and protect turnout figures.
- **In Dungarpur:** Voters at Ward Number 9 in Sagwara faced nearly an hour of delay, forcing some working citizens to abandon their turn. The administrative delay resulted in voter disenfranchisement for those unable to return later.
- **For Voters:** Citizens participating in local polls may need to factor in potential queue delays and report recurring machinery issues directly to booth officers.
- **For Poll Authorities:** The event stresses the need to keep spare EVMs ready at nearby locations to cut replacement times down to minutes rather than a full hour.

## Why this happened
The delay in voting at the Sagwara civic election was caused by sequential hardware issues and procedural delays in swapping the affected machine.

- **Technical Hardware Failure:** The electronic voting machine at the Indira Colony polling center suffered an internal display or power unit failure, causing it to shut down automatically after registering 47 votes.
- **Undetected Pre-Poll Faults:** The pre-voting check or mock poll conducted prior to voting failed to flag the latent component defect that manifested once regular voting started.
- **Replacement Turnaround Time:** Poll officials spent time attempting to reboot the faulty EVM on site before deciding to request a replacement unit, which required nearly an hour to transport, test, and seal.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. At which polling station in Dungarpur did the EVM fail?
The incident occurred at the Indira Colony School Number 1 polling center in Ward Number 9 of Sagwara Municipality, Dungarpur district.

### 2. How many votes were registered before the EVM stopped working?
A total of 47 votes were recorded by 8:10 AM before the machine experienced its first breakdown.

### 3. How many times did the EVM malfunction during the poll?
The EVM shut down and malfunctioned a total of three times.

### 4. How was the voting process resumed?
Election authorities dispatched a fresh replacement EVM to the polling station, allowing voting to resume after necessary setup procedures.

### 5. How long was voting delayed due to the technical issue?
Voting was interrupted for approximately one hour while the staff attempted repairs and replaced the machine.

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