The Congress candidate from the Baghmundi Assembly constituency of West Bengal has filed an official complaint alleging that closed circuit television cameras relaying a video feed of stored electronic voting machines were switched off for an hour on Saturday. Despite the complaint, the cameras were switched off again on Sunday, he told Scroll.in.

The Baghmundi constituency lies in Purulia district. Voting took place here on March 27 during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The counting of the votes will take place 36 days later on May 2, after the conclusion of all eight voting phases.

On April 3, the Congress candidate, Nepal Chandra Mahata, wrote a letter to the returning officer responsible for the conduct of elections in Purulia district. In the letter, he flagged a CCTV camera stoppage from 10:05 am to 11:05 am in a strongroom where EVMs were stored.

“I feel most uncomfortable to request you to let me know the reason why the CCTV cameras installed before the strong room at Purulia Polytechnic were stopped for a considerable period of time,” he wrote.

Despite his complaint, he alleged there was another blackout in the strongroom on Sunday. “It happened from 9:30 am to 10:30 am,” Mahato told Scroll.in. “This is not the way.”

This controversy over EVM safety comes after Election Commission officials were found transporting a voting machine in a vehicle owned by a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in Assam’s Ratabari constituency on Friday. In response, the commission ordered a repoll as well as suspended four officials.