Tension sparked after a reserved unused EVM was found inside a trunk at the counting centre in south Assam’s Hailakandi on Saturday evening.
The incident took place on the eve of the counting of votes in the Assam Assembly election.
On being detected, district election officer (DEO) Megh Nidhi Dahal along with Returning Officers rushed to the spot and made an inquiry into it.
The contesting candidates too reached the spot.
On being investigated it was found that the unused EVM inside a trunk that found its way inadvertently to the counting venue was a reserved one and there were no votes polled therein.
It was opened before the contesting candidates who were satisfied that no votes were polled therein and the reserved EVM was taken immediately to the EVM warehouse adjacent to the Deputy Commissioner’s premises and stored there.
“The reserved EVM was found in one of the trunks which have been brought to the counting centre for keeping the polled EVMs after counting tomorrow,” said DEO Dahal.
“The contesting candidates were satisfied that the EVM was a reserved one and no votes were polled therein. The machine was later taken to the EVM warehouse and kept under safe custody,” he said.