The Baramati Lok Sabha candidate of the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar, Supriya Sule, on Monday, shared a video on social media alleging that the CCTV cameras of the godown where electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been stored after the polling on May 7 were shut off for 45 minutes on Monday morning.

Sule demanded clarification for the “suspicious shutdown”.

“CCTV system in warehouse where EVMs are kept in Baramati Lok Sabha Constituency fully operational. All data secure, only display temporarily closed- Explanation by Election Returning Officer Kavita Dwivedi,’ read a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the District Information Office, Pune.

The reaction came after a strong post from Supriya Sule, the sitting MP who is defending the seat.

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“After the polling of Baramati Lok Sabha Constituency, the CCTV in the godown where the EVMs are kept was switched off for 45 minutes this morning. It is suspicious that the CCTV is switched off where a very important thing like EVM is kept. Also, this is a big laxity,” read a rough translation of a Hindi post by Sule.

“When the election representatives contacted the concerned authorities and administration, no satisfactory answers were received. Apart from this, the technician is also not available at the said place. Also our representatives are not allowed to inspect the EVM status. This is very serious,” the post further read.

“The Election Commission should immediately take notice of this and announce the reasons why the CCTV was closed. Apart from this, appropriate action should be taken against those responsible for the incident,” her post added.

Soon after Sule’s post came out, Returning Officer Kavita Dwivedi also issued a video clarification.

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“There’s a new post which is going viral claiming that CCTV cameras in the godown are shut. I have taken a detailed inquiry into this and it has been found that the electrician was working there and he had unplugged a wire for a small time, which caused disconnection of the TV screen. However, all the cameras are functional and the data including for the period (when the screen was disconnected) is safe. There’s no issue there and the telecast is being done properly,” said Dwivedi, Indian Express reported.

Baramati is witnessing a high-profile contest this election, that took place on May 7, with two members of the Pawar household being pitted against each other and a slew of allegations being made against the candidates and party workers including those of intimidation and cash distribution. Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, is up against her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, the wife of her cousin and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar.

In July last year, Ajit Pawar had joined hands with the BJP-Eknath Shinde alliance in a very public split.