Strong rooms, unsealed rooms shouldn’t be opened under any circumstance: EC

Election Commission of India directed officials in Kerala to avoid opening strong rooms before counting day after reports from Kozhikode and Palakkad, while opposition leaders alleged procedural violations and demanded scrutiny ahead of the May 4 election results

Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission on Tuesday issued clear directions to all District Election Officers and Returning Officers in Kerala not to open any strong rooms or unsealed rooms in counting centres under any circumstances before the day the votes are counted.

The direction was issued by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar following reports of a strong room storing EVMs in Perambra constituency in Kozhikode being opened on Monday, and reported plans to open another one in Nenmara constituency in Palakkad.

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“It has been reiterated that under no circumstances shall any strong rooms or unsealed rooms be opened or accessed for the purpose of preparing Index Cards or verifying data in the ENCORE portal.

“All concerned officers have been directed to ensure strict compliance with these instructions to safeguard the integrity, transparency, and security of the electoral process,” a statement issued by Kelkar’s office said. Responding to a TV channel’s query on the matter, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said that according to election laws and rules, no one is supposed to go near the strong rooms.

“So, why was the materials room kept close to the strong room? There is something suspicious about it. The party and the UDF are looking into the matter very seriously. There has to be a proper probe into the matter,” he contended.

“Overall, it appears that steps are being taken by the state and central governments to sabotage the people’s verdict. That is what we understand from these incidents,” he claimed. On Monday, the Kozhikode district administration had clarified that no strong room was opened.

Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, who is also the district election officer, had said that an unsealed “material room” at JDT Islam Higher Secondary School here was opened in the presence of candidates’ agents to verify and update polling records.

The officer, in a statement, had said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPATs were securely stored in a sealed strong room on the first floor of the building under the supervision of central observers and candidates’ agents, and that room had not been opened. However, leaders of the Congress and the party-led UDF had alleged that the incident amounted to a violation of election rules. The results of the April 9 Assembly polls in 140 constituencies in the state will be declared on May 4.