Opening of ‘polling material room’ in Kozhikode kicks up a row

The opening of one of the rooms at JDT Islam Complex at Vellimadukunnu in Kozhikode city, where electoral voting machines (EVM) used for the recently concluded Assembly elections are kept, kicked up a controversy on Monday.

The EVMs from six Assembly segments in the district are kept at the JDT complex. While the United Democratic Front (UDF) claimed that one of the strongrooms housing EVMs had been opened in an “unauthorised manner,” officials rejected the charge and said the room, which contained only election materials, was opened with the knowledge of agents of political parties to collect data for updating the poll software.