Strong rooms cannot be opened under any circumstance: EC
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission of India has issued strict instructions to all District Election Officers and Returning Officers in Kerala, directing that no strong rooms or unsealed rooms at counting centres be opened under any circumstances before the official day of vote counting.
The directive was conveyed by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar following reports that a strong room storing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Perambra constituency of Kozhikode was opened on Monday, along with reports of a similar plan in the Nenmara constituency in Palakkad.
In a statement, Kelkar’s office clarified that “under no circumstances shall any strong rooms or unsealed rooms be opened or accessed for preparing Index Cards or verifying data in the ENCORE portal.” Officials have been instructed to ensure strict compliance to safeguard the integrity, transparency, and security of the electoral process.
Responding to the controversy, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan questioned the proximity of a materials room to the strong room, calling the situation suspicious and demanding a thorough investigation. He alleged that both the party and the United Democratic Front (UDF) were examining the matter seriously, and claimed that the developments suggested attempts to undermine the people’s mandate.
However, the Kozhikode district administration denied that any strong room had been opened. District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh stated that only an unsealed “material room” at JDT Islam Higher Secondary School was opened in the presence of candidates’ agents to verify and update polling records.
He emphasised that EVMs and VVPATs remain securely stored in a sealed strong room on the first floor under the supervision of central observers and candidates’ agents, and that this room was not accessed.
Despite the clarification, the Congress and the UDF have alleged that the incident constitutes a violation of election rules. The results of the April 9 Assembly elections across 140 constituencies in Kerala are scheduled to be declared on May 4.
With PTI inputs