LS polls: Election dept begins preparations in Raj with checking of EVMs

With the first level checking of the electronic voting machines, the Election department has started the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, an official said on Saturday.

Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta in a statement said the Election department has started the process of preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in the state with the first level checking (FLC) of the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

He said the first level checking of the EVMs is necessary for fair, free and transparent elections.

Gupta said that as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, the first level checking work of EVM/VVPAT machines for the Lok Sabha elections has been started by the engineers of the Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru, from January 27 in all the districts of the state.

This work is likely to be completed on February 20, he added.

Gupta said this work will be done in the presence of recognised national and state political parties.

EVM refers to Ballot Unit (BU), Control Unit (CU) and VVPAT. About 83,000 BU, 73,000 CU and 73,000 VVPAT machines will be checked (FLC) by 274 engineers in the districts of the state.