Bhubaneswar: The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, today issued a press release strongly refuting an allegation made by a political party and subsequently telecast by a news channel, claiming that the District Election Officer-cum-Collector, Nuapada, had illegally and fraudulently brought a truckload of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from Ganjam District on November 9, 2025, for the Bye-election to the 71-Nuapada Assembly Constituency (AC).
CEO Odisha Shri R S Gopalan stated that the allegation is baseless and destroys public faith in the electoral process, urging the people of Odisha not to give credence to the claims. The CEO’s office provided a detailed explanation of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) strict security protocols and the four-step process for EVM preparation, asserting that the protocols are “inviolable.”
The press release confirmed that all 30 District EVM warehouses, including Ganjam’s, are stored under double lock and key, guarded round the clock by police, and monitored by 24×7 CCTV surveillance, with log book entries for access. Verification of the CCTV feed from Ganjam’s two EVM warehouses showed no truck had entered or exited in the near past, and the warehouse was not opened at all this month. Furthermore, the 720 sets of EVMs (200% requirement) requisitioned for the First Level Checking (FLC) in Nuapada AC were entirely drawn from the stock already available within the district of Nuapada.
The ECI’s four-step EVM preparation process involves:
First Level Checking (FLC): Conducted from September 22 to 26, 2025, in Nuapada by ECIL Engineers in the presence of political party representatives.
1st Randomisation: Done on October 9, 2025, by the DEO & Collector, Nuapada, in the presence of political parties, to select 160% EVMs and 170% VVPATs. Immediately after this, the selected machines were physically shifted to the Returning Officer’s (RO) Strong Room at National College, Nuapada.
2nd Randomisation: Performed on October 27, 2025, morning at the RO Strong Room, in the presence of the ECI Observer and contesting candidates/representatives. This step assigned 358 EVM sets to specific booths and created a reserve list.
Commissioning: The process of inserting ballot papers, loading symbols, and setting the candidate count was carried out from October 27 to 29, 2025. Non-functional units replaced during this time were also shared with all contesting candidates.
The CEO’s office stressed that at every stage, including the FLC, both randomisations, and commissioning, the processes were conducted with due prior notice and the participation of political parties/candidates. Lists of EVM serial numbers were shared, and acknowledgements were obtained.
Today, November 10, 2025, the RO Strong Room was opened under videography and in the presence of candidates/representatives to hand over the machines to Presiding Officers at the Dispersal Centre. The unique serial numbers of every Balloting Unit (BU), Control Unit (CU), VVPAT, and paper seals have been shared with candidates, allowing their Polling Agents to verify the machine numbers before the mock poll tomorrow and their Counting Agents to re-verify them on the day of counting.
Regarding the memorandum from the political party, the CEO’s office requested substantiating evidence, such as the location or registration number of the alleged truck, but no such evidence was provided. The CEO concluded that it is simply not possible for any person to acquire and commission a truckload of EVMs from another district’s warehouse, given the established, transparent, and multi-verification security protocol.