Ahead of 2024 polls, EC begins 'first level check' of EVMs in India: Report
The Election Commission of India has initiated first-level checks of electronic voting machines and paper trail machines ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and five upcoming assembly elections.
PremiumAhead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and five assembly elections due later this year, the Election Commission of India has initiated first-level checks of EVMs and paper trail machines across the country in a phased manner, said sources on Thursday.
They said mock polls are part of the first-level check (FLC) process. An Election Commission functionary asserted that it is a pan-India exercise and that FLC will take place across the country in a phased manner including all constituencies of Kerala, according to a report published by PTI.
The official was responding to a question on mock polls taking place in Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he was convicted in a criminal defamation case in March by a sessions court in Surat.
“The EC issues a calendar for such exercises and there are standing instructions that are to be followed by state chief electoral officers. FLCs will also take place in the five poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh as well as assembly and parliamentary seats where by-polls are due," the functionary told PTI.
Currently, the Lok Sabha seats of Wayanad, Pune, and Chandrapur (Maharashtra), Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana's Ambala are vacant.
Gandhi's plea to stay on the conviction and sentencing is pending before the Gujarat High Court.
During FLCs, electronic voting machines and paper trail machines are checked for mechanical flaws by engineers of BEL and ECIL, the two PSUs that manufacture the two pieces of equipment. Faulty machines are returned to the manufacturers for repair or replacement.
A mock poll is also held to check the two machines in the presence of representatives of political parties.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that the planned meeting of non-NDA opposition leaders would take place in Patna on June 12.
Nitish Kumar has been at the forefront of endeavors to unite all Opposition parties against the BJP government at the national level, keeping an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year.
In his efforts to rally the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Kumar has already held meetings with notable figures such as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.
(With PTI inputs)
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