Protected round-the-clock by security agents and representatives of major political parties including the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), are the strong rooms at the flower market in Phase 2 Noida that now house the sealed electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The EVM strong rooms at Phool Mandi in Noida’s Phase 2 are being guarded by armed cops. Representatives from political parties have also been stationed at the market to maintain a tight watch until June 4th, when the counting day occurs.
Political party delegates stated that since Gatuam Budh Nagar cast its ballot in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on April 26, they have been holding the vigil in shifts. June 4 is when the votes will be tallied.
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In order to make sure that nobody tampers with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) that determine the fate of 14 candidates running for the Gautam Budh Nagar parliamentary seat, the Gautam Budh Nagar government has also made security arrangements and security personnel have been stationed at the flower market around-the-clock.
The BSP, which has 14 agents manning the strongrooms in Noida and Bulandshahr, has deployed the maximum number of agents in response to calls from the opposition parties for their members and party functionaries to remain watchful and defend the strong rooms.
“We have deputed eight people to stand guard at the Noida facility where EVMs have been secured, while six others have been deployed in Bulandshahr,” stated Rajendra Singh Solanki, the BSP candidate for the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency. To stop any wrongdoing before the count day, monitoring will take place day and night. Our party representatives stayed in Noida, Dadri, Jewar, and Bulandshahr even after the polls were over.
“The district administration has been extremely vigilant, and there hasn’t been any security breach thus far.”
According to party officials, the SP has assigned two personnel to Bulandshahr and five to Noida to keep an eye on the strong rooms.
“Two of our employees will always be present in the strong rooms, where we have five individuals on duty in rotation to guard them. They have been told that nobody from the outside is permitted near the strong rooms. These individuals will keep watching until the EVMs are
opened, and the results were tallied. Two individuals are keeping an eye on the strong rooms in Bulandshahr, according to SP candidate Dr. Mahendra Nagar.
He declared, “We will designate them as counting agents for overseeing the counting procedure later on.”
To secure the EVMs, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also assigned personnel.
“Four party functionaries have been appointed to monitor the strong rooms in Noida while senior party representatives frequently visit the place besides the routine inspections conducted by the administration,” stated Tanmay Shankar, the media in-charge for the BJP in Gautam Budh Nagar.
“All security arrangements are intact and the strong rooms, in Noida and Bulandshahr, are being constantly monitored through technical surveillance and other means,” stated district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma. Enough armed individuals have been stationed to protect the EVMs. The party employees who are in charge of observation have been given ID cards.
On June 4, the day of the count, the machines will be unlocked in front of candidates and administrative representatives.
In the second round of the Lok Sabha elections, 53.63% of voters cast ballots in the Gautam Budh Nagar Lok Sabha seat, which includes the cities of Noida, Dadri, Jewar, Khurja, and Sikandrabad.