The Election Commission of India late on Wednesday night suspended all the polling officials who were present at the Palwai Gate Polling Station in Macherla constituency, where YSR Congress party MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy destroyed the EVM and VVPAT machine on the polling day of May 13.
According to official sources, the ECI suspended the presiding officer and other polling staff for remaining mute spectators when the MLA was ransacking the EVM and the other material in the polling station.
More than that, what angered the ECI was the way the presiding officer and other polling staff allowed the MLA to enter the polling booth against the rules, instead of preventing them, let alone going towards the EVM.
“Moreover, they stood up in respect when the MLA entered the polling station along with his followers. This has further annoyed the ECI,” sources said.
When the ECI called for an explanation, the presiding officer did not give proper response. The other polling employees were asked to submit their explanations before the end of Thursday.
