Gumla Deputy Commissioner conducts quarterly inspection of EVM and VVPAT warehouse

Gumla Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Dileshwar Mahto conducted the quarterly inspection of the district's Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) warehouse in accordance with the directions of the Election Commission of India and the Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand.

During the inspection, the Deputy Commissioner reviewed the security, maintenance and records related to the EVMs and VVPAT machines stored at the warehouse. He also assessed the overall security arrangements and checked the functioning of CCTV cameras, availability of fire-fighting equipment, entry and exit registers and other essential facilities.

Mahto directed the concerned officials to keep all arrangements updated and ensure strict compliance with the guidelines and security protocols prescribed by the Election Commission.

He said the safe and secure preservation of EVMs and VVPAT machines is crucial for maintaining transparency and public confidence in the electoral process. He stressed that all prescribed security standards must be followed in letter and spirit and that there should be no compromise in the arrangements at the warehouse.

The inspection was attended by the Deputy District Election Officer and representatives of various recognised political parties, including Firoz Alam of the Indian National Congress, Ranjit Singh of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Dinesh Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sunil Tirkey of the National People's Party, Suresh Tirkey of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Ravindra Badaik of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Officials and personnel from the Election Branch were also present during the inspection.