New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) The Election Commission of India today announced the successful completion of the first randomization of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) for Phase-I of the Bihar General Elections. The process, conducted as per ECI’s directives, marks a crucial step in ensuring transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
District Election Officers (DEOs) across all 18 districts involved in Phase-I elections carried out the randomization following the First Level Checking (FLC) of EVMs and VVPATs. The exercise was conducted through the EVM Management System (EMS) in the presence of representatives from National and State Recognised Political Parties, underscoring the commitment to inclusive oversight.
In total, 54,311 Ballot Units (BUs), 54,311 Control Units (CUs), and 58,123 VVPAT devices were randomly allocated to the 121 Assembly Constituencies encompassing 45,336 polling stations. Constituency-wise lists detailing the randomized EVMs and VVPATs were shared with political party representatives at their respective district headquarters.
The machines are now securely stored in the Assembly Strong Rooms under the watchful eyes of party representatives to maintain the integrity of the election equipment. Following the finalization of the list of contesting candidates, the ECI will further share the randomized EVM and VVPAT lists with all the candidates contesting in the elections.
This meticulous randomization process is part of the ECI’s broader efforts to uphold the sanctity of elections, ensuring that the voting machinery used is selected transparently and impartially, thereby reinforcing public trust in the democratic process.
