Strong room controversy in Palakkad too; Collector clarifies, says no plan to open now

Palakkad: District Collector M S Madhavikutty on Tuesday clarified that there was no plan to open the materials strong room of the Nenmara Assembly constituency at Victoria College, Palakkad, and dismissed reports about the opening of the strong room storing EVMs.

The clarification comes amid reports that the strong room could be opened, which triggered a controversy earlier on Tuesday, with the UDF saying that they will oppose the move. The issue gained further attention following a recent incident in Kozhikode, where a room storing polling materials for the Perambra constituency was opened.

Madhavikutty said a decision had earlier been considered to open the materials strong room to retrieve Form 17A, the Register of Voters, in order to ensure accurate data entry on the official website before the April 22 deadline. However, she stressed that in view of the ongoing concerns, the room would not be opened on Tuesday.

She reiterated that the materials room was separate from the sealed strong room where EVMs were stored and did not pose any security risk. “There is no need to create any unnecessary controversy,” she said.

The Collector added that any further decision would be taken strictly in accordance with the directives of the Election Commission. It would be only in the presence of the political parties that the materials room would be opened, she said.