All eyes on EVM strongrooms as parties wait for results day in Delhi

There are 70 such strongrooms in 19 locations across the city, each location containing EVMs from nearby constituencies

The electronic voting machines (EVM)s in which votes were polled for the Delhi assembly elections are stored in strongrooms under three-tier round-the-clock security. The outermost security layer — the entry/exit of the premises on which the strongrooms are located — comprises State Armed Police. The middle layer comprises Delhi Police personnel. The innermost perimeter, outside the sealed doors to the strongrooms, is guarded by Central Armed Paramilitary Forces.

A polling staff carries electronic voting machines (EVM) and other election materials to a strongroom after voting concluded in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

There are 70 such strongrooms in 19 locations across the city, each location containing EVMs from nearby constituencies, officials in the office of the chief electoral officer said on Thursday. Each strongroom has a double lock system, videography is mandatory whenever they are opened or closed in the presence of the candidates’ representatives and officials, a logbook records visits of authorised officials (general observers, election or police officers) under videography, there are operational control rooms adjacent to strongrooms, and no vehicles including those of VIPs, are allowed inside the premises, officials said.

Delhi chief electoral officer R Alice Vaz said agents and representatives of contesting candidates are allowed to closely monitor the security arrangements of the strongrooms round-the-clock through a CCTV feed. “Arrangements for their stay have been made at the strongroom locations where CCTV feed is displayed on monitors. They are also granted periodic access to the inner perimeter in batches to observe, verify, and be assured of the security measures in place,” the CEO said in a statement.

A second election official said arrangements for smooth and fair counting process have been made with approximately 5,000 staff members, comprising counting supervisors, counting assistants, micro observers, statistical staff, and other supporting personnel.

The CEO said that five voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPAT)s in each assembly constituency will be randomly selected for the counting of voter slips.

Political parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress have deployed workers at the 19 locations to monitor the strongrooms. “The workers are regularly monitoring the strongrooms and keeping a watch. They will remain deployed in multiple shifts till the counting begins,” said an AAP functionary.

A BJP leader said that the party workers from the respective constituencies are monitoring the strongrooms, while a Congress leader said that the candidates have deployed their workers at the strongrooms .

The counting of votes will begin at 8am on Saturday and will continue till the last polled votes are counted in the presence of officials and candidates’ representatives following election commission rules.

The CEO’s office said that the scrutiny of election documents, including Form 17C (which records voter turnout in every polling station of a constituency) and presiding officers’ diaries, among others, has been completed by all returning officers of the 70 assembly constituencies in the presence of general observers, candidates, and their agents.

“All election-related documents were in proper order. The presence of observers, candidates and representatives ensured transparency and fairness in the process. No re-poll was required on polling day as no complaints were received from any candidate,” said Alice Vaz.