EVMs and VVPATs shifted to strong rooms; collector rules out repoll in Coimbatore South

Coimbatore: After polling on Thursday, sealed electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units were shifted to strong rooms set up at the Government College of Technology (GCT) on the Thadagam Road here. The GCT, which serves as the designated storage and counting centre, is currently under a three-tier security cover comprising the Central Armed Police Forces and the Tamil Nadu state police.According to ECI protocols, no unauthorised personnel will be permitted near the strong rooms until the day of counting. The fate of the candidates will remain sealed under 24-hour surveillance until the votes are counted on May 4.The whole campus is being monitored by a high-definition CCTV network. "Live feeds from these cameras are being provided to representatives of political parties at a designated viewing area on the college premises," said district collector and district election officer Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar who inspected and sealed the strong rooms on Friday.The collector ruled out the possibility of a repoll in Coimbatore South constituency when reporters asked him about AIADMK candidate Amman K Arjunan's demand that the Election Commission of India cancel the poll in Coimbatore South. The AIADMK candidate alleged that DMK candidate V Senthilbalaji had distributed large sums of money to voters. The collector said, "The democratic process in all 10 constituencies was smooth and peaceful." The district recorded an impressive overall voter turnout of 84.76% in this election. He highlighted the enthusiastic participation of voters, noting that several constituencies crossed the 87% mark. Key turnout figures include Sulur at 88.31%, Pollachi at 88.09%, Thondamuthur at 87.50% and Kinathukadavu at 87.11%.In Tirupur district, EVMs and VVPATs from eight assembly constituencies were transported to LRG Government Arts College for Women on the Palladam Road and stored in strong rooms in the presence of candidates, their representatives and Election Commission-appointed central observers. The entire process was video graphed as per Election Commission guidelines.The strong rooms are protected by armed security personnel. Deputy collector-level officials have been appointed as district monitoring officers, while deputy tahsildars and tahsildars oversee security at the constituency level. The district recorded an overall voter turnout of 88.52%.In the Nilgiris district, the polled EVMs and VVPATs from all the three constituencies -- Udhagamandalam, Gudalur and Coonoor -- have been stored at Government Polytechnic College in Udhagamandalam under heavy security. The district recorded a voter turnout of 78.90%.
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