Team Herald

PANJIM/MARGAO: The controversy surrounding the electronic voting machines (EVMs) just does not end. A day after glitches in several EVMs throughout the State during mock drills and polling, questions are now being raised about the security of the machines.

Besides, polling staff, who had started duty almost 48-hours earlier were yet to be relieved from duty.

Sources revealed that the EVMs from many booths in North and South had not reached the designated strong room even 24 hours after polling was over.

“At some places polling got over late. Even then as per rules the EVMs have to reach the strong rooms at night. But here, in some cases, it took almost 24 hours,” sources revealed. This has raised serious doubts about the security of machines.

As per sources, the delay in machine arrivals were from areas like Sattari and Mandrem in the North and places like Ponda, Sanguem, Dharbandora and Canacona in South. “The irony was the officials could not be relieved till the EVMs were deposited in strong rooms,” they said.

Another major issue was, as per sources, when the machines were brought to the strong rooms there was no proper security. “The officials just loaded the EVMs and other equipment in buses and brought it without proper security,” they said.

Asked to comment on the matter, the Chief Electoral Officer and his staff decided to stay mum, but issued a statement later in the evening. 

On Tuesday after polling, CEO Kunal had assured that proper security arrangements had been made for the EVMs at the security. “There would be two-pronged security (internal and outer) cover. Besides I urge political parties also to maintain vigil,” he had said.

In the South, the entire sealing process of the EVMs used for the elections held on Tuesday were completed only at 11 am on Wednesday, when the returning officer along with the election observers finished sealing the last EVM.

The EVMs from 20 Assembly constituencies, along with the EVMs used for the by-poll of Shiroda Assembly have been stored in the strong room at Government Multipurpose Complex at Borda.

While the first EVMs to arrive at 8 pm on Tuesday were from Fatorda Assembly constituency, the last to be taken in were from the three Assembly constituencies of Ponda taluka, including those of the by-poll in Shiroda.

The ones from Ponda were the last to arrive because of the machines used for the by-polls were the additional burden that had to be catered to.

Returning Officer Ajit Roy, who monitored the sealing process round the clock, said there was no inordinate delay but the procedure involved made the staff work long hours. “Each of the machines had to be sealed separately after checking all the papers associated with the election process and that takes time,” he said.

The voting machines are now under 24 hour surveillance and protection of the Central Armed Reserve Force and the Indian Reserve Battalion besides being under CCTV surveillance at all times.