AAP candidates Sarvjit Kaur Manuke come out after checking strongroom arrangements at the PAU in Ludhiana on Monday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan
Nitin Jain
Ludhiana, February 21
The electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines sealed with the fate of 175 contestants from 14 Assembly constituencies in Ludhiana district — Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Payal, Dakha, Raikot and Jagraon — have been kept at their respective counting centres under foolproof three-tier security arrangements backed by 24x7 CCTV surveillance in place.
A total of 2,979 EVMs, one each for every polling booth, have been kept at 14 strongrooms, which are adjoining the counting centres set up for the counting of votes on March 10, District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma told The Tribune, here on Monday.
He said three-tier tight security arrangements have been made in and around the counting centres, which have been duly sealed, to avert any possible sabotage or pilferage whatsoever. “For the first time, the batteries of the EVMs have also been detached and will be attached again at the time of the counting process,” he disclosed.
The EVMs and VVPAT machines, brought to the designated strongrooms from all polling stations, are being guarded by the police and paramilitary personnel under round-the-clock vigil.
Detailing about the three-tier arrangements, Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said in the first layer, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have been deployed near the strongrooms, Punjab Armed Police (PAP) personnel are deputed in the second layer and the district police personnel are manning the outer layer.
Besides 24 CAPF personnel in three shifts of eight each, 20 personnel each of the PAP and the district police have been deployed at each strongroom.
He said 14 strongrooms have been established at as many locations with 24x7 tight security and CCTV surveillance to ensure the safety of EVMs and VVPAT machines.
Sharma and Bhullar commended all the civil and police officials who had worked tirelessly for ensuring free, fair, transparent and peaceful election across the district.
The EVMs kept in strongrooms in the constituency will be opened on March 10 for counting.
Meanwhile, 175 candidates, including two Cabinet Ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Ludhiana West and Gurkirat Singh Kotli from Khanna, two former Akali ministers Sharanjit Singh Dhillon from Sahnewal and Maheshinder Singh Grewal in Ludhiana West, Aam Aadmi Party’s Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sarvjit Kaur Manuke from Jagraon, four former bureaucrats sitting MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid (Bulara) from Gill, retired IAS Sucha Ram Ladhar from Gill, retired PCS and ex-MLA Shiv Ram Kaler from Jagraon and retired IRS officer Dr Jagtar Singh from Raikot, Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) supremo Balbir Singh Rajewal from Samrala and 12 women, have been locked in a multi-cornered contest and their supporters are finding it hard to wait till the D-day.
Groups of supporters of candidates are rotating duties to guard the EVMs outside the counting centres, where the political fate of their respective candidates was kept locked, round-the-clock.
Candidates heave sigh of relief
A day after the polling, the candidates were seen busy taking feedback from different quarters to analyse the possible outcome of the polls.
Though the candidates and their supporters have heaved a sigh of relief after working overtime ever since the declaration of the elections, they remained engaged in hot discussions and compilation of the polling figures besides predictions from the political pundits.
With the majority of the contestants exuding confidence of their victory, whose confidence comes true will be known on March 10 only.
Polled-EVM strongrooms
Khanna: AS Modern Senior Secondary School, Khanna
Samrala: Girls common room 2, SCD Government College for Boys
Sahnewal: Khalsa Girls Senior Secondary School, College Road, Ludhiana
Ludhiana East: Library hall, first floor, SCD Government College for Boys, Civil Lines, Ludhiana
Ludhiana South: KVM school, Civil Lines, Ludhiana
Atam Nagar: Room numbers 9 and 10, new workshop building, Guru Nanak Dev Polytechnic College, Gill Road, Ludhiana
Ludhiana Central: Auditorium, Arya College, Civil Lines, Ludhiana
Ludhiana West: PAU gymnasium hall, ground floor
Ludhiana North: Government Senior Secondary Smart School, PAU, Ludhiana
Gill: GMT lab, SRS Government Polytechnic College for Girls, Rishi Nagar, Ludhiana
Payal: Government College for Women, Ludhiana
Dakha: Sukhdev Bhawan, PAU, Ludhiana
Raikot: Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Ludhiana
Jagraon: Examination hall, PAU, Ludhiana
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