20.4.17

Of EVMs with Paper trails: 2019

The government cleared the decks for a fully paper trail-based parliamentary poll, with the Union Cabinet approving release of funds to the Election Commission for 16.15 lakh voter verifiable paper audit trail units in time for the 2019 general elections.

The expenditure of Rs.3,173 crore on the VVPATs will be split over two financial years, 2017-18 and 2018-19. If the EC places the order this month, the machines will be delivered by September 2018, well in time to ensure that all electronic voting machines have VVPAT units in the next general election. The decision comes at a time when many opposition parties including BSP , Congress and AAP have cast doubts on EVMs being tamper-proof. AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has even alleged that the polls in Punjab, UP and Uttarakhand were rigged by tampering the EVMs, and demanded that only VVPATs be used in future polls.  VVPATs will be manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd as per the design approved by the commission based on recommendation of the technical experts committee on EVMs, comprising professors from IITs. The poll panel said it would ensure “total compliance of the orders of Hon'ble Supreme Court and its commitment to use VVPATs with every EVM at all polling stations in the country in general elections 2019“.


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