The process of commissioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections commenced on Tuesday across all 126 constituencies in the state.
According to an official statement, the commissioning exercise is being carried out at locations designated by respective District Election Officers (DEOs), with technical support from engineers and personnel of Electronics Corporation of India Ltd.
Authorities said that the entire process is being conducted in the presence of contesting candidates or their authorised representatives to ensure transparency and adherence to the guidelines set by the Election Commission (EC) of India.
A total of 41,353 Ballot Units (BUs), 45,572 Control Units (CUs), and 44,830 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units are being commissioned. These figures include reserve machines — 9,863 BUs, 14,082 CUs, and 13,340 VVPAT units — which will be kept ready for contingencies.
The state will have 31,490 polling stations, where approximately 2.51 crore registered voters are expected to cast their votes.
As part of the commissioning process, symbols of candidates will be loaded into each VVPAT using a Symbol Loading Unit (SLU). These symbols will be displayed simultaneously on monitors or television screens, allowing candidates and their representatives to verify accuracy.
To further enhance transparency, candidates or their representatives can randomly select up to five per cent of the EVMs and VVPATs for mock polls.
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer stated that EVM commissioning is a critical stage in ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and transparency of the electoral process.
Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly is scheduled for April 9, while the counting of votes will take place on May 4. Notably, this will be the first Assembly election in the state following the delimitation exercise conducted in 2023.
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