Chandigarh, Nov 10 — Ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab, likely slated for February next year, the first-level checking of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will commence in all districts from November 12, Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said on Tuesday.
She said the first-level checking is an essential process prescribed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that only fully functional and election-ready machines are used during the elections.
As per the guidelines of the Election Commission, the first-level checking to be used in every general election and by-election is conducted under the supervision of the District Election Officer by authorised engineers of Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL).
The CEO said only those EVMs and VVPATs which successfully pass the first-level checking will be used in the elections. The detailed procedure will be conducted as per instructions of the Election Commission.
The process will be conducted in accordance with the extant instructions of the Election Commission.
All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth, transparent and systematic conduct of the first-level checking process.
Mitra said the process will be conducted under the supervision of the District Election Officers concerned and will be monitored at the level of the Chief Electoral Officer as well as the Election Commission.
The CEO further said that, to ensure complete transparency and accountability throughout the process, live webcasting of the entire process will be conducted at all 23 locations.
Two display screens have been installed at each district headquarters so that representatives can closely observe proceedings. Dedicated screens have also been set up at the Chief Electoral Officer headquarters to oversee the entire process live.
Also, the Election Commission has appointed observers to supervise these operations. She urged all recognised political parties to authorise their representatives to witness the first-level checking of EVMs and VVPAT machines.
She emphasised that the presence of party representatives during the process would further strengthen transparency, build confidence among stakeholders and ensure that the entire process is carried out in a fair and impartial manner.