New Delhi, April 17 (BNP): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has commenced the commissioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units for constituencies going to polls in the first phase on April 23, officials said on Thursday.
The commissioning process began across various constituencies in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (Phase-I) in the presence of candidates, their authorised representatives, and General Observers, ensuring transparency in poll preparations.
According to the ECI, the commissioning will be followed by mock polls, where 1,000 votes will be cast in 5 per cent of randomly selected EVMs. Candidates or their representatives will also be allowed to conduct mock polls themselves.
Ahead of commissioning, EVMs and VVPATs were allocated to polling stations through a two-stage randomisation process using the EVM Management System (EMS). In the first stage, machines were distributed from district warehouses to assembly constituencies, and in the second stage, from constituencies to individual polling stations.
Officials said Tamil Nadu has a total of 75,064 polling stations, while 44,378 polling stations in West Bengal will go to polls in the first phase on April 23.
The first randomisation was carried out by District Election Officers (DEOs) in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties, while the second randomisation was conducted by Returning Officers (ROs) with candidates, their agents, and General Observers present.
Lists of allocated EVMs and VVPATs were shared with political parties and candidates at each stage. The machines have since been securely stored in designated strong rooms under the supervision of stakeholders, the Commission added.
The commissioning exercise is part of preparations for the ongoing General Elections to Legislative Assemblies in several states and accompanying bye-elections scheduled this year.
