Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar has urged the Returning Officer of Villupuram Lok Sabha constituency to take necessary measures to ensure safety of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) kept in the strong rooms, where the machines would be stored until counting day.
In a memorandum submitted to the District Election Officer and Collector, C. Palani, on Friday, Mr. Ravikumar said that a representative assigned by him to monitor the strong rooms had informed him about the interruption in the CCTV coverage of the facility. The CCTVs suddenly stopped functioning at 9.28 a.m. on Friday and resumed recording at 9.58 a.m., after repair.
“The senior officials of the district administration visited the counting centre to ensure voltage was maintained at the present level. Though the authorities explained that the interruption was due to a fuse in the UPS and measures have been taken to prevent such incidents, this occurrence is unprecedented during elections. According to reports, similar incidents have been reported in other constituencies in Tamil Nadu, raising concerns,” Mr. Ravikumar said.
