Are the ballot boxes really secure in city?

JUST TWO constables each, posted at the Government Polytechnic and the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) to guard 3,378 ballot boxes kept there, were all in name of foolproof security arrangements made by the district administration.

JUST TWO constables each, posted at the Government Polytechnic and the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) to guard 3,378 ballot boxes kept there, were all in name of foolproof security arrangements made by the district administration.

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To add to it, the ‘strong’ rooms, where the ballot boxes are kept, haven’t been sealed. And the two cops deployed to secure the boxes have the liberty to move out of the campus at will. Yet the officials associated with the election process seem satisfied with the arrangement and say that any tampering was just out of bounds.

Assistant district election officer Sanjay Dwivedi said the PAC personnel and armed policemen had been deployed to guard the ballot boxes till the counting of ballot was over. “They have the instructions to maintain highest level of vigil and alertness. They are doing what they have been told. Security as per our assessment is foolproof,” he said.

However, when this correspondent visited the Polytechnic and the ITI to have an idea of the so-called comprehensive security bandobast, the chairs meant for the security personnel were empty. There was no one to even check the unauthorised entry of visitors. Twenty minutes later two gun-carrying constables were seen heading towards the strong room from the main entrance.

They came in chatting and occupied the chairs. On being asked where they had been, pat came the answer — to fetch pan masala — which they said was their best companion. A closer look at the entrance of strong room revealed that locks hadn’t been sealed. The PAC personnel, as revealed, were on the other side of the building but they were nowhere to be found. At the ITI the cops though were on the campus, they were loitering.

Even on Tuesday night, the official concerned goofed up when it came to shifting the ballot boxes from the booths. The boxes that were supposed to reach Polytechnic landed at ITI and vice-versa. Chaos prevailed throughout the night and the officials had a tough time bringing back the boxes to the right place.

The BJP legislator from Generalgunj, Salil Vishnoi apprehended large-scale manipulation during the counting. He said the ballot boxes were held back for long at the booths after the polling was over and barring the Samajwadi Party agent no one else was allowed to enter the booths. He said 50 per cent of the ballot boxes were sent without obtaining seals from the polling agents.

“As per rules the ballot boxes should be sealed in the presence of agents of all polling parties. The agents should be told about the number of votes polled during the day. This time nothing as such was done at 50 per cent booths and officials did what they were told to do,” he said.

He also voiced concern over the security of ballot boxes and said when polling was not impartial what’s the guarantee the officials would not manipulate the counting.