India General Elections 2024: NCP (SP) candidate claims person breached security, tried to reach EVMs godown in Ahmednagar

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NCP (SP) candidate from Maharashtra's Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat, Nilesh Lanke, on Wednesday claimed a person breached the three-tier security and tried to reach a godown where the EVMs were kept after polling in the constituency.

Lanke posted on X a CCTV grab while claiming the person tried tamper the close-circuit camera and reach the godown.

The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader raised questions over the security deployed there.

"A person easily breached the three-tier security around one of the godowns where EVMs are stored. He tried to tamper the CCTV cameras, but my colleagues intervened in time," he claimed in the post on X.

"If my colleagues can catch the person, I wonder how the three-tier security system could not stop the unidentified person. Does it mean the system itself is biased and trying to steal democracy? It looks like the administration is being a mere spectator," he alleged.

Lanke was pitted against BJP's Sujay Vikhe Patil in the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat.

Last week, the NCP alleged wrongdoing after CCTV cameras got turned off for 45 minutes at a godown where the EVMs from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency were stored in Pune district.

The election authorities, however, then clarified that a cable of the cameras had to be removed for a short period during some electrical work on the premises in the morning.

In Baramati, sitting MP Supriya Sule locked horns with her sister-in-law and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra.

Polling for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra was held in five phases from April 19 to May 20. Votes for India General Elections 2024 will be counted on June 4.

An average voter turnout of 54.33 per cent has been recorded in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Maharashtra during the fifth phase of polling, as per latest data available with the office of the state's Chief Electoral Officer.

The final figures will be declared later, an official from the CEO's office said on Tuesday.

During the voting held for India General Elections 2024 in the 13 seats on Monday, six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai recorded an average turnout of 52.27 per cent, compared to 55.38 per cent in the 2019 general elections.

The ST-reserved Dindori constituency (in Nashik district) recorded the highest turnout at 62.66 per cent while Kalyan saw the lowest polling at 47.08 per cent.

The BJP fielded Union minister Bharati Pawar in Dindori where she was pitted against Bhaskar Bhagare of the NCP (SP).

Palghar, another tribal-dominated constituency, recorded the second highest turnout at 61.65 per cent.

At many polling stations in various constituencies, people were standing in queues to cast vote even after the scheduled concluding time of 6 pm.

"As a standard procedure, every person standing in the queue is taken inside the premises and its gates are closed. Voting then goes on till the last person in the queue casts vote," the official said.

During the polling on Monday, Nashik Lok Sabha seat reported 57.10 per cent polling, Dhule at 56.61 per cent, Bhiwandi 56.41 per cent, Mumbai North 55.21 per cent, Mumbai North East 53.75 per cent, Mumbai North West 53.67 per cent, Mumbai South Central 51.88 per cent, Mumbai North Central 51.42 per cent, Thane 49.81 per cent and Mumbai South 47.70 per cent, as per official data.

(With inputs from Agencies)