The rule will be applied to both, Lok Sabha as well as State Assembly constituencies
Just hours before he exited Nirvachan Sadan one last time after completing his tenure as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Nasim Zaidi on Wednesday, put his signature on a file containing his last, but a very significant, decision in the Election Commission (EC).
According to sources, the file pertains to the EC's decision of making the counting of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips mandatory in up to five per cent polling booths in every constituency along with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The rule will be applied to both, Lok Sabha as well as State Assembly constituencies.
The decision, taken at a meeting of the Full Commission, also says that the number of polling stations where the VVPAT slips will be counted and tallied with the EVM numbers will be a minimum of four and a maximum of 14. New CEC Achal Kumar Jyoti and Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat were also present.
The polling stations where the exercise will be conducted will be chosen by the candidates themselves after deliberations. In case of lack of consensus, the polling stations will be chosen by draw of lots, sources told DNA.
In order to implement this decision, relevant rules dealing with counting of votes will be amended through an order, which will be issued soon.
After the controversy over allegations of tampering of EVMs, levelled by many Opposition parties in the aftermath of BJP's spectacular victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the EC had decided that all future elections in the country will be held by linking all EVMs to VVPAT machines.
A VVPAT machine produce a printout of the vote cast using an EVM, thus allowing a voter to be assured that his/her vote has gone to the candidate of his/her choice.
After a day-long meeting with leaders of all political parties on May 12, the EC had announced that VVPAT slips will also be counted so as to ensure more transparency in the electoral process.
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