Election Commission admits cameras faced blackout at EVM strongroom in MP

Bhopal: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has admitted that a strongroom in Bhopal faced a blackout on Friday (November 30) after a power cut in the area, following concerns
raised by the Congress party over EVM-malfunctioning in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Releasing a statement on the incident, the ECI admitted that CCTV cameras in the strongroom did not work for over an hour.
“A report obtained from the Bhopal Collector states that CCTV cameras and an LED display installed outside the strongroom did not function from 8.19 am to 9.35 am on November 30 due
to the failure of electricity supply. Because of this, the recording could not be done during the given time period. An additional LED screen, an inverter and a generator have been installed
in order to ensure continuous electricity supply,” the poll body said in a statement.
The ECI confirmed that cameras in the strongroom are functional now.
Fearing tampering of the machines, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers had been patrolling the strongroom in old Bhopal jail since Friday in shifts. President of Congress’s
Madhya Pradesh unit Kamal Nath appealed his party candidates to monitor the EVMs till December 11, the day of result declaration.
Bhopal DIG Dharmendra Choudhary, however, assured Congress and AAP workers that the EVMs kept inside the strong room were secure. He said that the EVMs were given a three-layer
security cover and no one could enter the area without signing at the gate.