Rajasthan Assembly Election: Over 2 lakh EVMs to be used in polls, Chief Election Officer says machines are secure

Jaipur: Over two lakh electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly elections, said Chief Election Officer Ashwani Bhagat on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_4359543” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The five-year-term of the state Assembly is to end on 20 January next year and accordingly the state is expected to go to the polls by the year end. The machines to be used in the upcoming election are secure and do not have any fault, said Bhagat, amid the ongoing technical examination of the readiness of the EVMs to be used in the state. The first-level examination of the EVMs was conducted by technical experts of Bharat Electronics Limited in presence of representatives of major political parties, he added. For the Assembly elections, a total of 76,700 third generation EVMs, 64,000 control units and nearly 65,700 VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines have been allotted, he said, adding the rest would be allocated soon. The machines have been kept in warehouses by District Election Officers, said the Chief Election Officer, adding that a team of 10 policemen secures the warehouses round the clock and only pass holders are allowed entry to them. The Election Commission of India (ECI), the State Election Department and District Election Officers can see live recordings of the CCTV cameras installed at the warehouses as a surveillance measure. Bhagat said the first-level technical examination for the EVMs was launched on 18 June at division levels in the state by twelve teams, comprising a total of 140 engineers and technical experts. The work has been completed in major districts, but was still pending in Swai Madhopur, Hanumangarh, Dausa, Jaisalmer, Jhalawar and Pratapgarh districts, he said.