VVPAT to be introduced in Jadavpur constituency

VVPAT will enable a voter to get the proof that his vote has gone to the candidate of his choice against the right symbol

The Election Commission has chosen Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal for the launch of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail system in EVMs on an experimental basis.

The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system will enable a voter to get the proof that his vote has gone to the candidate of his choice against the right symbol.

Explaining the method, Deputy CEO Amitava Sengupta said, "As the voter presses the EVM button, a paper slip will come out of the VVPAT attached to the EVM exhibiting the name and symbol on which vote has been cast. The slip will be detached immediately to be dropped in a secret box attached to the machine."

Sengupta said that the VVPAT system had already been demonstrated to the representatives of all recognised national and state political parties.

He said that Jadavpur was the only constituency in the state where the system would be experimentally launched keeping in mind the level of education among the voters and its congested character.

The 15,78,977-strong electorate in the Jadavpur seat would be able to cast their votes through EVMs in 1,959 polling stations, Sengupta said.

The EC has placed an order of about 20,000 VVPAT machines and upon their availability, they could be used selectively in different states on experimental basis.

The VVPAT is kept by the election official, as the record of votes cast, for audit and recount purposes, EC sources said, adding verification of a small percentage of VVPAT should be activated when elections are closed.

The system was developed by the Bharat Electronics limited, Bangalore and the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). It has undergone extensive evaluation by a Technical Experts Committee.