With the Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections underway, complaints have been raised from a few
parts of the 58 constituencies polling on Thursday about EVMs (Electronic
Voting Machines) and VVPATs (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails) malfunctioning.

Akhilesh Yadav, former
chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief, appealed to the state election
commission to get the complaints redressed. He further called upon the
commission to initiate investigate into places where EVMs were malfunctioning or
polls were getting “intentionally” delayed.

EVM malfunction
was reported from Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh. Shamli district magistrate,
Jasjit Kaur, told media persons that malfunctioning EVMs were being changed.

Polling stopped
briefly in Muzaffarnagar owing to a faulty EVM. Voters in Islamia Intercollege had
to wait for over 90 minutes before polls could start again.

The Uttar Pradesh
chief election officer (CEO) said, “EVM & VVPAT malfunction complaints are being addressed immediately.
Law and order is maintained at all polling stations, voting underway
peacefully. A complaint of a person being stopped from voting in Agra has been
found baseless.”  

Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has called on the people of UP to come out and participate in the
electoral process. “Some constituencies in western UP are voting for the first
phase. I am glad that on such winter mornings, people are going to vote in
large numbers. I appreciate all these voters,” the PM said at a rally in
Saharanpur.

He added that the
BJP’s election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh is a resolution for welfare.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi urges voters to come out and vote and ‘free country from fear’

Rahul Gandhi, Congress
leader and MP from Wayanad, also appealed to voters to come out and vote and “free
the country from fear”.

Uttar Pradesh is
going to polls in seven phases starting February 10. Fifty-eight Assembly
constituencies in the critical western UP are voting in the first phase.
Results will be declared on March 10.