PUNE: NCP (SCP) candidate from Baramati, Supriya Sule, complained on Monday that the CCTV cameras installed at the constituency’s EVM strong at Food Corporation of India godown in Koregaon Park were switched off for 45 minutes. The ECI, however, said the CCTV system was functional and only the display unit was temporarily unavailable. Returning officer Kavita Dwivedi said there was no protocol violation.

Raising serious concern over the security of EVMs, Sule, in a social media post, said: “It is highly suspicious that the CCTV cameras were switched off, where important devices like EVMs have been kept. This is a big laxity on the part of the authorities.” The Baramati returning officer said the output of the cameras was disconnected for 45 minutes because of some electrical work, but claimed the recording was not affected at all. ECI in a tweet stated that the data was intact and there was no interruption in the CCTV footage. All instructions regarding the backup had been duly followed and given to the agency and the same had been verified by viewing the CCTV footage, it added.

Stressing that all protocols were in place as per the ECI guidelines and there was no violation, Dwivedi said: “The three-tier security is in place in the strongroom. The EVMS are all duly sealed and the seals are intact.”

She said the returning officers and assistant returning officers visited the strongroom regularly as per the ECI guidelines.