Additional Election Officer V K Singh was removed from the election process in Bareilly. Ballot boxes and other election items were found inside a garbage collection bin of the local municipality in the Baheri area. In Sonbhadra district, Ghorawal returning officer Ramesh Kumar was removed from the election duty as ballot papers were recovered from a box inside his vehicle. The Varanasi DM said all EVMs were checked late in the night in the presence of election observers and candidates after the ruckus over the alleged replacement of EVMs on Tuesday.

Sharma said all control units, ballot units and VVPATs were checked. A report from Varanasi said two FIRs have been registered by police against 300 unknown people for violence and hooliganism while protesting the transportation of EVMs on Tuesday.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had on Tuesday cited examples of the three places, alleging the “stealing of votes”. The SP uploaded a video at its Twitter handle of an official admitting that the required protocol was not followed in the transportation of the EVMs on Tuesday.

He, however, seems to have categorically ruled out any possibility of EVM tampering. Alleging that EVMs were being tampered with, the SP workers have increased their vigilance outside the strongrooms where the voting machines have been kept.

Reports from districts suggested SP workers checking vehicles of government officials near the strongrooms in Karhal, Badaun, Ballia and Sultanpur. Activists of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and farmers’ outfit Bharatiya Kisan Union have pitched tents near election offices in various districts of western Uttar Pradesh to keep an eye on the counting on Thursday. The Election Commission of India Wednesday deputed special officers to supervise counting of votes in Meerut and Varanasi amid complaints from opposition parties about alleged irregularities in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. The Samajwadi Party has asked the Election Commission to webcast the counting of votes so that political parties could watch the proceedings live. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and minister Mohsin Raza have taken potshots at the SP supremo for creating fuss in anticipation of a sure defeat. The BJP petitioned the Election Commission demanding action against Yadav for allegedly trying to “incite anti-social elements” over the electoral process. A BJP delegation submitted a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, claiming that Yadav, through a press conference on Tuesday “attempted to spread disaffection and levelled brazen, unsubstantiated, frivolous and false charges against the Election Commission and its officials”.