New Delhi: Polling for State Assembly elections of 5 states have recently concluded and counting will take place on 11thMarch, 2017. In its endeavour to conduct free, fair and transparent polls, ECI have initiated innumerable measures, set up different mechanisms and practices along with issuing of various instructions and guidelines to tackle various security issues related to storage of EVMs in the strong room and during the counting process. Further in this regard, the Commission has also issued the following instructions to strengthen the overall electoral process which includes:
Security arrangements for Storage of EVMs and relevant documents in the Strong rooms after the completion of polls
The Control Units and Ballot Units meant for use at the election shall be separately taken to R.O’s strong room under proper escort and will be guarded 24 X 7. At the time of sealing the strong room, the representatives of political parties can remain present and they can also affix their seal on the lock. For this purpose recognized National and State level political parties should be intimated in writing in advance.
The strong rooms should have only one entry point and double lock system. One key should be kept with Returning Officer and the other with Assistant Returning Officer of concerned assembly constituency. Other entry points of the strong rooms (including windows) should be sealed in such a way that no one has access inside the strong rooms.
The entry point of strong room having EVMs shall have CCTV coverage round the clock.
A log book shall be maintained by the security personnel in which entry should be made about date, time, duration and name(s) of anyone entering near the strong rooms. This includes visits by the Observers or DEOs or SPs or Political Parties/ Candidates or their agents or any other person.
PREPARATION OF COUNTING CENTRE/ HALL:
The counting of votes will be done at Counting Centers comprising of one or more counting halls. Each counting hall shall be a separate room walled on all sides preferably with separate exit and entry facilities. Each Counting Center will have a distinct identity number and within that, each counting hall will also have a distinct Identity number.
Each counting hall shall have separate entry as well as exit doors, duly guarded. Where pre-constructed separate rooms are not available but large rooms are proposed to be divided for creating Halls, each part constituting a Hall will be separated by temporary partitions using strong material, preferably CGI sheets. Where the owners of the building have objections to dig holes on the floor, a suitable rigid frame, with CGI sheets fixed on two sides, may be used. The point to be ensured is that after the necessary partitioning, each Hall is an independent room walled on all four sides. It should not be possible for anybody either to move from one hall to another without coming out of the hall. Further, the partition should be so erected that it should be impossible to slip any material from one hall to the other through the partitions.
PERSONS ALLOWED IN THE COUNTING HALL
Only the following persons can be allowed inside the counting hall –
- Counting supervisors and counting assistants, micro-observers;
- Persons authorized by ECI (possessing authority letter duly issued by ECI), and Observers;
iii. Public servants on duty in connection with the election; and
- Candidates, their election agents and counting agents.
Before counting begins RO should see that no one else is present in the counting hall.
SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS for the Counting Centres:
There should be smooth flow of EVMs between the respective strong rooms where polled EVMs are kept in the counting halls. A proper barricading of the path used for this purpose should be done so that the transportation from strong room to the counting hall of an AC is not interrupted by presence of non-officials and media persons. Trespassing through the barricade by any unauthorized person should be duly eliminated. No criss – cross movement across the paths of two different ACs is permissible.
Three tier cordoning system should be set up in all counting premises to prevent the entry of unauthorized persons inside the counting premises. 100 meter periphery around a counting premise/campus should be demarcated as pedestrian zone. No vehicles shall be allowed within this perimeter. Proper barricading of this demarcated zone should be done and the alighting point (same as the pedestrian entry point) clearly made out by providing an entry gate into the premise. If a public road cuts across such sanitized zone, then proper traffic diversion plan should be prepared in advance for the counting day. This is 1st cordon of the security ring. Here adequate local police force should be stationed to check the identity of the persons seeking entry in. No person without duly issued Authority letter of ECI or photo I-card issued by the concerned DEO or Media pass, duly displayed on his person shall be allowed to cross the 1st cordon. A senior Magistrate shall be posted at the entrance to control crowd and regulate entry.
The 2nd tier and the middle cordon will be at the gate of the counting premise. This will be manned by the State Armed Police of the state concerned. Before allowing the entry of persons into the 2nd cordon, proper frisking should be made by the security personnel to ensure that no prohibited items like matchbox, arms etc. are carried inside. The frisking shall be done by state police force personnel only. Women shall be frisked only by women police personnel/women HGs. They should also tell that mobiles/I-pad, lap top and similar electronic devices etc which can record audio/video are not allowed inside the counting hall and they will need to keep it in Media or Public Communication Room. The forces deployed at 2nd cordon will also ensure that no one is loitering outside the counting halls and using mobile phones or other communication equipment. (Mobile etc can only be used from designated rooms as aforesaid at the counting centers).
The 3rd and the inner cordon shall be at the door of the counting hall. This will be manned largely by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). There will be frisking arrangements at this stage too so as to ensure that no mobile phones and other prohibited items are carried inside the counting hall.
No camera – still or video of the media (except the official video camera for officially recording the entire counting process) is allowed to be fixed inside any counting hall. No camera stand should, therefore, be allowed to be taken inside counting halls by media and journalists. Hand held cameras can be allowed to press corps carrying Media pass issued by the ECI. Further, while taking audio visual coverage of the counting process with camera carried in hand or on shoulders by the media/press, under no circumstances, the actual votes recorded on an individual EVM or ballot papers is to be photographed or covered by audio visual coverage. The exact location, up to which the still and video cameras of the media and press can move, should be indicated by the Returning Officer in advance, marked by a line or a string for guidance of all concerned.
Nobody (not even the candidate or RO/ARO etc) except the ECI Observer shall be allowed to carry a mobile phone inside the counting hall, the DEOs/ROs will also arrange another room for the candidates, their agents, counting staff etc to make use of their mobile phones in case of any need.
Entire counting process must be video-graphed. CD of the recording should be kept in safe custody of the DEO. Video coverage shall be ensured at every stage of counting. This Video coverage shall include the randomization process, the process of opening of strong room, transfer of EVMs from strong room to counting hall, counting hall arrangements, process of counting in general in the counting hall and process of tabulation in general at the Returning Officer’s table, the process of counter checking of two EVMs by the observers and security arrangements in and outside the counting hall/center, presence of candidates and their agents in the counting centers and the process of declaration of result, handing over of certificate of Return of Election, sealing of EVMs after counting and any other significant events of the counting process. The videography should indicate the date and time and the unedited video CDs should be sealed, clearly labeling all the details contained therein, after the counting process is over for future reference. Accordingly, adequate number of video teams may be deployed on the counting day.
Apart from this, the Commission has also issued additional instructions with regard to Punjab, Goa and Manipur more particularly on security protocol of strong rooms while making the barricading arrangements and other preparatory work for the counting hall. If anywhere counting hall is in the proximity of the Strong room or the passage to the Counting hall is near the strong room then proper strong barricading should be erected to ensure that the access to the inner perimeter of the strong room is completely blocked. In all such matters the DEO shall personally oversee and approve all such arrangements and ensure that security of EVMs in no way breached. Further in all such places CCTV cameras may be placed before undertaking the counting arrangements at such locations where from all the happenings of the movement is recorded and shown on a separate TV, placed next to the TV fixed already for the round the clock viewing of the strong room doors by the candidates. For counting day, CCTV must be strategically placed so that all movements of personnel carrying CUs is covered and displayed on TV, placed at RO’s table and at some place where candidates, counting agents can also view the movement of CUs from Strong Room to the Counting Hall.
In case the Counting Hall building is located at a distance or in a separate building away from the Strong room then in those cases, effective Barricading from the strong room door up to the Counting hall door shall made in such a way that EVMs of each constituency should go to its respective Counting hall only and shall not be criss – crossing each other.
On the date of counting, additional CCTV camera may be installed at such locations from where the carrying of EVMs from these strong rooms to the counting hall can be recorded for effective monitoring.
For transparency, the counting arrangements may be shared with the contesting candidates by the DEOs.
