Durg, Mar 28 (PTI) A BJP leader in Chhattisgarh's Durg district has written to the Election Commission accusing former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel of trying to instigate people to file as many nominations as possible to overwhelm EVMs and force polls to be conducted through ballot papers.

In his letter, BJP Durg district vice president Rajendra Padhye claimed Baghel, while addressing Congress workers on March 26 in Patan, had said polls will have to be conducted through ballot papers if the number of candidates in any constituency exceeds "374".

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Padhye, in his letter, alleged Baghel asked his party workers to file as many nominations as possible from Rajnandgaon.

Talking to the reporters after the event, Baghel had said, "The work which cannot be done by the court and Election Commission can be done by people sitting in this hall. They (party workers) asked how? If more than 384 candidates contest in one constituency then the EC will be forced to carry out polling through ballot papers,"

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Padhye claimed Baghel was trying to influence the election process inappropriately by instigating party leaders in this manner and sought a ban on his campaigning outside Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat.

Baghel, who is currently MLA from Patan, has been fielded from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat by the Congress.

As per poll officials, each EVM can have a maximum of 384 candidates, including NOTA, per constituency. A total of 16 candidates, including NOTA, can appear in one ballot unit and 24 ballot units can be connected simultaneously to the control unit, they said.

Durg District Election Officer and Collector Richa Prakash Choudhary told PTI on Thursday that a complaint had been received and further action would be taken after examining it.

"There is no such provision to conduct polls through ballot paper if the number of candidates exceeds 375," she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)