The Congress on Thursday moved the Chhattisgarh High Court against the irregularities it has alleged in connection with the polling in the state Assembly elections last month, The Indian Express reported. The court agreed to hear the plea on December 10, a day before the votes are counted. Voting was held on November 12 and November 20.

In its petition, the party claimed that unauthorised officials had entered the strongrooms holding electronic voting machines in Dhamtari, and that closed-circuit television cameras were turned off for a few hours in Durg. The Congress sought directions for the Election Commission to investigate the claims, and demanded that 50% of the votes be tallied with voter-verifiable paper audit trail machines on the day of the counting. The party also sought the segregation of used and unused EVMs in strongrooms, round-wise counting of votes, and uninterrupted power to ensure that CCTV and LED screens operate throughout the election process.

On November 20, a delegation of Congress leaders had met Election Commission officials in New Delhi, alleging that there were attempts to misuse and tamper with electronic voting machines during elections in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the state government, has downplayed the allegations as “tactics to mask fear”.