MP assembly polls: Candidates hire security guards to keep vigil on EVM strong rooms

Bhopal: Even as the Election Commission has provided three-layer-security around the EVM strong rooms in Madhya Pradesh, many candidates trying their luck in the just-concluded assembly elections in the state have hired security guards to keep the round-the-clock vigil at these places, leaving nothing to chance.

Security guards hired by the candidates were seen guarding the EVM strong rooms in Khandwa, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Narmadapuram, and Morena, reports reaching here on Friday said.

Madhya Pradesh went to assembly polls on November 17.

Results of the polls are scheduled to be declared on December three.

Heavy security arrangements were made at all the EVM strong rooms set up in all the 52 district headquarters in the state with deployment of state police, home guards and Central Para Military Forces (CPMFs).

CCTVs have been installed at all the EVM strong rooms and LED screens, installed outside the strong rooms, beamed the view of sealed EVMs kept inside the strong rooms, round-the-clock.

Besides, the political parties particularly the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have deployed their agents at the strong rooms to keep a round-the-clock vigil on them.

“Despite such security arrangements, several Congress candidates have hired security guards to keep a watch on the strong rooms, leaving nothing to chance.

Many Congress candidates in Khandwa and Gwalior districts have deployed the hired security men at the EVM strong rooms in their respective areas”, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) general secretary Ramdin Chaurasia said on Friday.

Sources said the candidates who consider that the poll battle in their respective assembly constituencies may witness a nail biting finish have hired security guards to deploy them at the strong rooms in their respective areas as an extra-security measure.