Lok Sabha polls | Villupuram MP complains about interruption of CCTV coverage at counting centre

Villupuram MP D. Ravikumar raises concern over CCTV interruption in strong rooms during Lok Sabha vote counting.

Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar lodged a complaint with the Returning Officer (RO) of the Villupuram Lok Sabha constituency over the interruption of CCTV coverage in strong rooms in the counting centre at Arignar Anna Government Arts College.

Mr. Ravikumar, who submitted a representation to the RO and Collector C. Palani on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 in this regard, said that a representative assigned by him to monitor the strong rooms had informed him about the interruption of CCTV coverage where Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) of Tindivanam and Villupuram Assembly segments have been stored.

The CCTVs stopped functioning at 7.28 a.m. on May 8, and resumed recording at 8.10 a.m., after repairs. The RO, along with the police and revenue officials visited the spot and inspected the cameras and instructed the person maintaining the CCTVs to take preventive measures.

Mr. Ravikumar said that he visited the spot and inquired into the incident. “The person maintaining the CCTVs informed me that there was an interruption in coverage due to lightning and thunder. Though the displays were not working for about 42 minutes, the recording was disturbed only for 2 minutes,” he said.

The MP said that interruption in the CCTV coverage for about 30 minutes was earlier reported here on May 3 and he had raised a similar complaint in this regard on the same day. The repeated occurrence of CCTVs malfunctioning created unwanted panic, he said.

The Election Commission of India has explicitly stated that uninterrupted power supply must be ensured at strong room locations throughout the EVM storage period. The Chief Electoral Officer is urged to address the Chairman of the Electricity Board separately on this matter, he said, and added that local electricity standby generators should be in place to ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Hence, the RO should follow the directive of the EC and take all necessary measures to safeguard the EVMs kept in the strong rooms, he said.