Gujarat elections: SC rejects Congress plea to verify VVPAT with EVM votes

The Congress party had earlier this year demanded mandatory use of printed paper slips in all elections amid a debate over alleged EVM tampering.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Congress’ plea seeking verification of vote paper trail with EVMs for recently-concluded Gujarat assembly elections.

A policeman monitors CCTV footage of strong rooms containing Electronic Voting Machines and other electoral material at a centre in Ahmedabad on December 15, 2017, a day after the second phase of the Gujarat legislative assembly election. (AFP)

Congress had asked the apex court to direct the Election Commission to count and cross verify at least 25% of VVPAT paper trail with EVM votes.

The top court said that it finds no merit in Congress’ plea, adding that Gujarat Congress can approach SC by filing a writ petition for electoral reforms.

Gujarat was the second state after Goa to use the VVPAT, where the EVM dispenses a paper proof for the voters so that they can verify if their vote is cast correctly. The paper trail was used in all the 50,128 polling booths in Gujarat in the two-phased election, the results for which will be known on December 18.

The VVPAT machine is connected with EVMs and dispenses a paper proof for the voters so that they can verify that their vote is cast correctly.

Amid a debate over alleged vulnerability of EVMs to tampering, several political parties, including the Congress, had earlier this year demanded mandatory use of printed paper slips in all elections.

In August this year, the EC had informed the Supreme Court that it would be able to use EVMs with paper trail in Gujarat Assembly polls.