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‘CCTVs turned off for 45 mins’: NCP(SP) alleges wrongdoing at warehouse storing Baramati EVMs
NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule expressed concerns about the security of EVMs in Baramati, alleging CCTV cameras at the warehouse were switched off for 45 minutes.
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Monday raised serious concerns over the security of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Baramati from where she is in battle for Lok Sabha seat against Sunetra Pawar, wife of her cousin and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Sharing a video on social media, Supriya Sule alleged that the security cameras at the warehouse where the EVMs were stored post-voting were switched off for 45 minutes earlier today.
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Sule flagged what she called a ‘highly suspicious’ incident and called it a major lapse on the part of the Election Commission.
“After the polling of Baramati Lok Sabha Constituency, the CCTV in a godown where the EVMs are kept was switched off for 45 minutes this morning. It is suspicious that the CCTV is switched off where a very important thing like EVM is kept. Also, this is a big lapse,” Sule posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“When the election representatives contacted the concerned authorities and administration, no satisfactory answers were received. Apart from this, the technician is also not available at the said place,” she added.
Supriya Sule alleged that her election representatives were not being allowed to inspect the status of the EVMs stored there.
“The Election Commission should immediately take notice of this and disclose the reasons why the CCTV was closed. Apart from this, appropriate action should be taken against those responsible for the incident,” the NCP leader of Sharad Pawar faction said.
Laxmikant Khabiya, the election representative of Baramati candidate Supriya Sule, alleged that the CCTVs were turned off between 10.30 am and 11.15 am at the Food Corporation of India's godown, where the EVMs from the constituency are stored.
"Election officials told us that the CCTVs will function round the clock. Our party representatives are deployed to keep a watch. On Monday, we received an alert that the CCTVs were turned off for nearly 45 minutes. We tried to raise the issue with the police. The administration has come up with a clarification, but we will submit an application to the returning officer of Baramati," Khabiya said.
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The election authorities, however, clarified that a cable of the cameras had to be removed for a short period during some electrical work on the premises in the morning.
Baramati returning officer Kavita Dwivedi said the party's claim was investigated, and it was found that an electrician at the godown had removed a cable, which caused the display unit to be shut down.
