E-Paper
Rajouri bypolls: EC sending voters guide to use EVMs, VVPAT polling machines
Opposition parties have been crying foul over the usage of EVMs in the electoral process. They allege the voting machines can be tampered.
The election commission is sending an electoral guide to voters in the Rajouri Garden assembly, explaining how a voter can use an EVM and the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT).
Rajouri goes to bypolls on Sunday. Along with the customary practice of providing voters’ slips to all voters, the Delhi election body is sending a guide-cum-assistance booklet for the first time. The booklet explains the usage of EVMs and VVPAT and contains information regarding eligibility and the voter registration process.
“The booklet is a complete guide about the entire election process. The six-page booklet is being sent to all the voters in the constituency as part of the systematic voters’ education and electoral participation (SVEEP) programme of the election commission of India. Most of them have already been dispatched,” Delhi chief electoral officer, Chandra Bhushan Kumar, told HT.
Officials said the election body will use all modes of communication to advertise the usage of EVMs and VVPAT ahead of the bypolls, in order to make it simpler for the electorate to exercise their franchise.
The opposition parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress, have been crying foul over the usage of EVMs in electoral process. They allege that EVMs and VVPAT are not “tamper-proof”.
AAP leaders have gone ahead and asked the election commission to do away with the EVMs and conduct all elections in future through paper ballot.
The election commission has constituted 166 polling booths across 35 locations in this West Delhi assembly segment where 1,67,991 voters are registered. Officials said VVPAT-enabled EVMs will be used in all polling booths. Of 116 polling stations, four at a school have been set up as model booths.
