Tensions escalated in Kolkata ahead of the May 4 election results after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that eight electronic voting machines (EVMs) were moved into a strong room without proper monitoring, raising concerns over possible tampering. The party flagged alleged gaps in CCTV surveillance and questioned the Election Commission’s (EC) handling of the process.

The EC rejected the claims, stating that the footage showed authorised segregation of postal ballots — a routine procedure communicated to all political parties. It reiterated that EVM storage and movement follow strict, multi-layered protocols designed to prevent any manipulation.  This controversy has once again brought focus to a key question: what exactly happens to EVMs after polling ends, and how secure are they until counting?

What are EVMs?

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are devices used to record and count votes electronically in Indian elections. The system, known as ECI-EVM, is designed under Election Commission guidelines and consists of three components — the Ballot Unit (BU), Control Unit (CU), and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

These machines fall under Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems and are intended to improve efficiency and accuracy by eliminating invalid votes and reducing counting time. Each vote is recorded for a single candidate and stored securely within the machine. 

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What happens immediately after polling?

Once voting concludes, EVMs are switched off and sealed in the presence of polling agents. Multiple physical seals are applied, and these are signed by election officials as well as representatives of candidates. This creates a verifiable lock — any attempt to tamper with the machine would require breaking these seals, which would be immediately evident. 
The machines are then transported to designated storage centres under tight security. Typically, they are moved in escorted convoys, sometimes with GPS tracking. Candidates or their authorised agents are allowed to follow these convoys, ensuring that the machines are never out of oversight during transit. 

Inside Strong Rooms

After transportation, EVMs are stored in highly secure facilities known as strong rooms. These are specially designated spaces with multiple layers of protection to prevent unauthorised access.

Security is arranged in three tiers. The innermost layer consists of the sealed strong room guarded by central armed police forces and monitored round the clock through CCTV. The second layer is managed by paramilitary forces and includes designated areas where candidates’ representatives can monitor live CCTV feeds. The outermost layer is secured by state police, with strict entry controls, including approval letters and QR code-based identity cards. 

In addition to official security, political parties themselves play a role in oversight. Candidates can station their representatives outside strong rooms кругл the clock, creating continuous multi-party monitoring. Every movement or access is logged, and the strong room can only be opened under exceptional circumstances in the presence of authorised officials and observers. 

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Legal safeguards

The entire process of handling EVMs is governed by strict legal and procedural frameworks under the Representation of the People Act. Transparency begins even before polling, when mock polls are conducted in the presence of candidates’ representatives to verify machine functionality. Details such as serial numbers are recorded in Form 17A.

After polling, sealing is again done in the presence of agents, who sign off on the process. During transportation and storage, EVM numbers are cross-verified against official records. This creates a documented chain of custody, ensuring traceability at every stage. 

What happens on counting day?

On counting day, strong rooms are opened in the presence of candidates and their agents. The first step is verification — seals are checked and machine serial numbers are matched with official documentation. Only after this validation does counting begin.

Votes are retrieved from the Control Unit, and results are tabulated. Additionally, VVPAT slips from a randomly selected set of polling stations are counted and matched with the electronic results. This serves as an independent audit mechanism to confirm accuracy. 

Can EVMs be tampered with?

The Election Commission maintains that EVMs are “secure, standalone, and tamper-proof by design.” Since they are not connected to any network or the internet, remote hacking is not possible. Votes are stored in non-rewritable memory, which means they cannot be altered or deleted once recorded. 

Beyond the technology itself, the system relies heavily on layered safeguards — physical sealing, controlled transportation, secure storage, continuous surveillance, and multi-party oversight. Any attempt at interference would likely leave visible evidence, such as broken seals or mismatched records.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the use of EVMs while acknowledging that, as with any system, theoretical vulnerabilities may exist. However, there has been no proven instance of large-scale tampering in Indian elections. 

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