DNA Edit: VVPAT slips - The SC order should put to rest any further controversy

Apparently, political parties are difficult to convince. After persistent confirmation by virtually every serving and former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) about the soundness of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the 21-party opposition front is not entirely satisfied. Following up with the Supreme Court demanding an enhanced paper trail count has paid dividends. The apex court has directed a somewhat reluctant Election Commission to increase by five times the number of EVMs whose vote count must be matched with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips in each assembly segment.

On an average, it could mean 35-40 VVPAT counts per parliamentary seat. If in the process, the results get delayed by at least four hours, if not more, be it so. Though leaders of the 21-party front failed to convince the court of the need to count VVPAT slips of 50 per cent EVMs in the Lok Sabha elections, they could rightfully claim moral victory in so far as succeeding to get the Commission to change its procedure of counting VVPAT slips of one randomly selected EVM per assembly segment is concerned. The apex court has, however, done well to place its confidence in the Election Commission and the EVMs. There is no doubt that subjecting more EVMs to verification will lead to greater satisfaction not just for the political parties, but even the common mass of voters. It is equally true, however, that it would add to the already overworked Commission.

Even more importantly, it would put the Commission’s infrastructure under severe strain on May 23, the day of the general election results. It would, however, be fair to say that it is a new system that is going to be introduced and chances of unknown glitches cannot be ruled out. Officials in the Election Commission believe, privately of course, that increasing the mandatory count of VVPAT trail to five EVMs from the existing practice of one, could delay results by four hours, if not more. The Commission, under existing rules, follows a system of counting VVPAT slips in one polling booth per constituency in Vidhan Sabha elections and one polling booth per assembly segment in Lok Sabha polls. However, this could stretch even longer, maybe 7-8 hours, if candidates demand counting of VVPAT trails for other EVMs, as provided for under Rule 56 (D) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. So look at it any way, expect delayed results on the day of the counting.

A sample survey by the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)-led experts has said that counting of VVPAT slips of 479 EVMs from a total of 13.5 lakh EVMs ensured a voter confidence of 99.9 per cent. Even more important, there has been no single mismatch in the EVM count and VVPAT slips, till date. Be as it may, it is imperative in a democracy that any doubt, howsoever minor, needs to be cleared. By such a comprehensive exercise, as has been ordered by the SC, it would lay to rest any nagging doubts about the efficacy of the EVMs that has acquired a logic and direction of its own.