Thiruvananthpuram, 21 April (H.S.):Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan Khelkar has directed that no rooms within vote counting centres be opened until the completion of counting, amid recent controversies in Perambra and Nenmara constituencies.

The directive, issued to District Collectors who serve as Chief Returning Officers in their respective districts, clearly states that even unsealed rooms within counting centres should remain closed until further orders. The move is aimed at ensuring transparency and preventing any suspicion regarding the handling of election-related materials.

The instruction follows reports from Perambra, where the opening of a material room at the JDT Islam Convention Centre in Kozhikode — a facility used to store voting machines — triggered a political row. However, the Returning Officer clarified that the strong room housing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and postal ballots was never opened. According to officials, only an unsealed material room was accessed on April 20 at around 11:15 a.m.

District authorities explained that the room contained documents under the custody of the Returning Officer, including records required for verification on the ENCORE election management software. April 20 was the deadline for final approval of data on the platform, necessitating cross-verification with presiding officers’ diaries.

A similar controversy arose in Nenmara, where plans were made to open a room at Victoria College in Palakkad. While opposition candidates alleged that the strong room was to be opened, the district administration clarified that only a material room was intended to be accessed to retrieve Form 17A records.

In light of these incidents, the Chief Electoral Officer has now ordered that even such rooms must not be opened, reinforcing strict adherence to election protocols until the counting process concludes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman