A four-tier security cover has been in place at the counting centre at the Government College of Engineering (formerly I.R.T.T) in Chithode, where the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in 237 polling stations during the by-election to the Erode (East) Assembly constituency on February 5 are being kept.
Following the conclusion of Wednesday’s polling, which recorded a voter turnout of 67.97%, all EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) machines were sealed, transported to the centre, verified by election officials, and placed in strong rooms in the Mechanical Department block of the college.
On Thursday, the rooms were sealed in the presence of District Election Officer and Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara, General Observer Ajay Kumar Gupta, Returning Officer and Corporation Commissioner H.S. Srikanth, Superintendent of Police G. Jawahar, and candidates’ agents.
The Collector said 78 CCTV cameras had been installed for round-the-clock monitoring. He added that 183 policemen were on duty and that the seals would be removed on the day of counting, February 8.
Published – February 06, 2025 06:29 pm IST