📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Education
Crime
24 EVMs Missing in Anupur: 2021 Records Reveal Units Sent to Bhopal and Destroyed in Hyderabad
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 04 Oct 2026, 07:45 PM
👁 9
Election officials discovered that the 24 missing electronic voting machines from Anupur were actually 8 ballot and 16 control units dispatched to Bhopal in 2021 and later destroyed in Hyderabad, according to archived election files.
In Anupur, Madhya Pradesh, a discrepancy was uncovered when 24 electronic voting machines (EVMs) reported missing could not be located in the usual storage. The missing units comprised eight ballot units and sixteen control units that were part of the 2021 election inventory.
A review of archived election files revealed that these 24 units had been transferred to Bhopal in 2021 after being deemed faulty. From Bhopal, the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) Hyderabad facility received the machines for final disposal, where they were destroyed in accordance with standard protocol.
The revelation has raised questions about record‑keeping and oversight within the state election machinery. While the destruction process follows established guidelines, the lack of clear documentation linking the transfer to the current inventory prompted criticism of administrative lapses.
State election officials have pledged to tighten audit trails and improve transparency to prevent similar ambiguities in future electoral cycles.
A review of archived election files revealed that these 24 units had been transferred to Bhopal in 2021 after being deemed faulty. From Bhopal, the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) Hyderabad facility received the machines for final disposal, where they were destroyed in accordance with standard protocol.
The revelation has raised questions about record‑keeping and oversight within the state election machinery. While the destruction process follows established guidelines, the lack of clear documentation linking the transfer to the current inventory prompted criticism of administrative lapses.
State election officials have pledged to tighten audit trails and improve transparency to prevent similar ambiguities in future electoral cycles.