District Election Officer and the District Election Observer examined the seal and inspected the ballot boxes kept at the counting centre at Alagappa Polytechnic in Karaikudi on Tuesday after a candidate complained removal of seal in the ballot boxes.
After the end of the second phase of polling on Monday, the ballot boxes with votes polled were sealed, packed in sealed gunny bags and shifted to the counting centres to be kept in the strongrooms.
Similarly, ballot boxes with votes polled for rural local bodies in Sakkottai panchayat union were shifted to the counting centre at Alagappa Polytechnic on Tuesday, when a candidate lodged a complaint, alleging removal of seals.
Acting on the complaint, Collector and District Election Officer J. Jayakanthan and District Election Observer Karunakaran, along with former DMK Minister K R Periyakaruppan and booth agents of contesting candidates visited the centre on Tuesday and inspected the ballot boxes.
The Collector said the ballot boxes were not tampered with and the seals remained intact. He said before the ballot boxes were shifted from polling stations, they would be sealed and kept in sealed gunny bags.
After the boxes reached the counting centres, the gunny bags would be removed and the sealed boxes would be kept in the strongrooms.
The process was followed at Alagappa Polytechnic, when a candidate took exception to removing of gunny bags, he said. Allaying apprehensions, Mr. Jayakanthan said ballot boxes were kept in the strongrooms at the counting centres safely in all the 12 unions safely with round-the-clock security.
A three-tier police security has been posted, he said adding the strongrooms and counting centres were monitored through CCTV cameras. The tight security would continue till completion of counting of votes and declaration of results on January 2, he assured.
