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The fear of tampering of ballot boxes has started gripping the Opposition parties in Odisha ahead of the voting for the Panchayat polls.
They alleged the possibilities of the ruling party resorting to tampering with the boxes can’t be ruled out as those will be kept at strong rooms for ten days following the completion of polling.
“We fear the ruling party can tamper the ballot boxes in those areas where they feel they are going to lose. It is not possible for the candidates to keep watch on the ballot boxes all the time,” said BJP leader Dillip Mallik.
Congress MLA Mohammad Moquim also echoed the same fears. “The ballot boxes will be kept for ten days in strong rooms and it raises suspicion about their safety. So the government should assure that besides local police, security staff from other areas should also be deputed at the strong rooms,” opined Moquim.
However, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Munna Khan termed the allegations of the Opposition parties as ‘baseless’. “There will be no question of any disturbances. The Opposition parties are alleging so because they are sure of their debacle,” Khan added.
Notably, the SEC has taken all steps for the maintenance of law and order during polling. Voting at sensitive and highly sensitive booths will be video graphed.
On the other hand, the State Election Commission, Odisha has released an informative video elaborating the process of central counting, arrangements and measures to ensure security of ballot boxes.
There are just five days to go for the Panchayat elections in the State. The polling will be held on every alternate day in five phases, starting on February 16 and ending February 24.
This time around, the counting will not be held in booths as it had been in the practice. Instead, there will be central counting at Block offices.
The polling will commence at 7 am and continue till 1 pm. Thereafter, the ballot boxes will be taken to strong rooms specifically created in Block headquarters. While there will be heavy police deployment at these strong rooms, to ensure more surveillance, CCTV cameras will also be installed inside and outside these rooms.
The counting will be held in 315 Zilla Parishads and the Panchayats under them on February 26. Similarly, on February 27 and 28, counting will take place in 307 and 231 Zilla Parishads and their Panchayats, respectively.
At the counting centre, there will be a separate table for each Panchayat and each table will have a counting supervisor, two counting assistants and a Class IV employee.
At the time of counting, agents of candidates will be allowed to be present at the table.
Similarly, the ballot papers will be of different colours for different posts. While the ballot papers for Ward member posts will be of yellow colour, pink, blue and white colour ballot papers will be assigned to Sarpanch, Samiti member and Zilla Parishad posts, respectively. The ballot papers will be arranged as per their colour before counting.
The votes will be treated as invalid in case ballot papers are found either without stamp, stamps against more than one candidate, not clear as to against whom the stamp is cast or torn.
The entire counting will be held under close surveillance of CCTV cameras.
Informing about the arrangements, Collector, Sundargarh district, Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, said, “The counting will be held on February 26, 27 and 28 in our district. The ballot boxes will be kept in strong rooms at the Block headquarters for ten days-from February 16 to 26.”
He also said that the rooms would be sealed with round the clock security arrangements. “Installation of CCTV cameras at the strong rooms has been made mandatory,” he said.
