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ECI Says Samastipur VVPAT Dump Was Mock-Poll Lapse, Suspends ARO

The commission says votes were unaffected and is introducing biometric checks and GPS-tagged bins for mock-poll waste.

Overview

  • Videos showed piles of paper slips near SR/KSR College in the Sarairanjan segment two days after Phase 1 polling, prompting complaints and scrutiny.
  • District Magistrate Roshan Kushwaha inspected the site, seized shredded and some unshredded slips, informed candidates, and confirmed an FIR has been filed.
  • Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the slips were generated during mandatory pre-poll mock tests and ordered the Sarairanjan ARO suspended for negligence.
  • ECI officials reported a fresh VVPATEVM match with full reconciliation and cited CCTV indicating a sanitation worker inadvertently scattered the slips.
  • The commission announced tighter disposal controls for mock-poll material and, in a separate action, suspended the Tarn Taran SSP in Punjab and shifted jurisdiction to Amritsar’s police.