Mamata Banerjee raises EVM swap charge. Is that even possible?

A day after votes were cast and days before the counting of the mandate on May 4, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Matriarch-in-Chief Mamata Banerjee stood in rain outside a strongroom (meant to store Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs) in southern Kolkata. On Thursday night, the Bengal CM stood outside Kolkata's Sakhawat Memorial School for at least three hours, where the Election Commission of India (ECI) had stored EVMs after polling in the state's last and second phase of Assembly polls on April 29.

Standing guard, Mamata told Trinamool Congress workers to maintain a 24-hour vigil around all strongrooms in Bengal. Mamata alleged that the BJP would try to manipulate EVMs in their storage and transport. Citing an alleged CCTV video, Matata alleged that BJP workers were tampering with the EVMs in places like Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Even as West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal dismissed the TMC's allegations of suspicious activities with the EVM, can such malpractices be actually carried out in strongrooms with round-the-clock surveillance?

The CM's concern came days ahead of counting of the votes for the West Bengal Assembly polls. The Bengal election, with record polling, marked the most intense run-to-the-wire poll battle in the state. Several exit polls predicted the opposition BJP getting a lead over the incumbent Trinamool.

Facing her toughest challenge since the 2011 polls where she trounced the CPI(M), Mamata Banerjee on Thursday directed her workers to closely monitor the movement of EVMs. "During this critical window, when the EVMs are being moved from storage to the counting halls, they [the BJP] have hatched a plot to swap the machines," Mamata claimed.

However, contrary to the allegations, manipulating or swapping EVMs during storage and transportation is far more difficult than it appears, according to experts. Over the years, the ECI has implemented multiple layers of safeguards to secure the machines and ensure maximum transparency in the entire process.

Hence, against the backdrop of Mamata Banerjee's allegations, here’s a glance at how the ECI ensures the sanctity of the EVM machines, from the day of polling, to the day of counting.

HOW EVMs ARE TRANSPORTED, STORED AFTER POLLING

In his book An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi detailed the safeguards the ECI employs to prevent tampering with EVMs during storage and transit.

After polling concludes, Quraishi wrote that the EVMs are sealed with paper seals and placed in plastic boxes, which are also sealed. They are transported directly from polling stations to designated strongrooms. These strongrooms are locked and sealed in the presence of candidates, their agents, and the ECI's observer.

Candidates and their representatives are also permitted to affix their own seals on the strongroom locks and may maintain a vigil until counting begins, with necessary facilities provided for the purpose.

In addition, armed police personnel maintain round-the-clock security, supplemented by continuous video recording and CCTV surveillance.

The sealed storage hall is opened only on the day of counting, again in the presence of candidates, their agents, and the ECI's observer.

Quraishi wrote that the secure transportation of sealed EVMs, election staff, and records along predetermined routes to strongrooms and receipt centres is treated as a top priority.

Candidates are allowed to accompany EVM-carrying vehicles and affix seals at storage sites.

Once counting begins, the process of removing and returning Control Units from the strongroom is fully videographed to ensure transparency and accountability.

The ECI has also put in place detailed protocols to safeguard the integrity of EVMs during transport. A 2017 document issued to Chief Electoral Officers across states and Union Territories specified that EVMs must be moved in container trucks fitted with tracking systems, allowing real-time monitoring of their movement.

The same document mandated that the opening of strongrooms and the transportation process be fully videographed. Political parties are informed in advance and permitted to depute representatives to observe every stage.

Guidelines issued in a 2014 document ahead of state elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha further outlined security measures during transit. Polled EVMs are transported to receipt centres under Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) protection, and candidates are allowed to follow the vehicles carrying the machines. The sealing of EVMs is conducted in the presence of candidates and recorded on video.

The 2014 document also noted that candidates are notified before any movement of EVMs, including their shifting to or from strongrooms. These strongrooms are opened only in the presence of candidates or their representatives, who can verify that the seals remain intact.

Hence, every step in the process, from the sealing of EVMs to their transport to and from strongrooms and counting centres is carried out in the presence of party agents. When EVMs are moved out of strongrooms for counting, representatives of the contesting parties are present, meaning any discrepancy, if it all occurs, cannot happen with their agents in the loop.

Follow all the latest updates on the West Bengal Assembly Elections here.

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