ECI gives aggrieved candidates choice on how they want to check EVM

Aggrieved candidates, who have applied for Supreme Court-directed checking of EVMs for tampering post Lok Sabha and assembly results, have been given various choices by the Election Commission, including picking machines from any polling station in an assembly segment and opting for a mock poll and mock VVPAT slip count.

According to standard operating procedure issued on Tuesday by the Election Commission, the candidates who came number two and three have been given a vast number of random tests to choose from.

The Election Commission said that by going beyond controlled environment check and verification process of burnt memory eliminates the possibility or apprehension of any bias or hidden functionality in the firmware.

The Election Commission has received eight applications from aggrieved candidates, including those from the BJP and the Congress, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded in the EVMs post declaration of the Lok Sabha election results on June 4.

Terming the suspicion of manipulation of the electronic voting machines "unfounded", the Supreme Court had on April 26 rejected the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system.

The top court had at the same time opened a window for the aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in the poll results and allowed them to seek verification of micro-controller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon the payment of a fee to the poll panel.

The Election Commission said the eligible candidates can give choices of polling stations or serial numbers of machines from within the assembly segment or constituency, subject to a maximum of five per cent EVMs used in that segment or seat to undergo check and verification process.

This will ensure the EVMs are picked up from across the constituency as per choice of the applicant without the involvement of a third party or officials in selecting or leaving out any particular machine.

The choice to mix and match EVM units from any polling station in the assembly constituency has also been offered.

If any applicant candidate selects any specific unit -- ballot unit, control nit or VVPAT -- of a particular polling station, he/she is not bound to choose other units of the same set used at that polling station.

At least one ballot unit, one control unit and one VVPAT or paper trail machine makes up for one EVM.

Instead, the applicant candidate can mix and match and give his choice of other units from remaining polled units used at other polling stations in the assembly constituency or assembly segment to make a set.

Polled units are those which were used in the elections to cast votes.

All EVM units will undergo self-diagnosis. Several electrical parameters will be checked, including the fidelity of the burnt memory and only self-diagnosed units will thereafter go for further check and verification.

The EVM units selected by the candidates after mix and match first shall undergo self-diagnosis followed by mutual authentication of each other. Successful mutual authentication takes place only between genuine EVM units and the result of the self-diagnosis of connected units is displayed on control unit.

The mutual authentication process ensures that spurious or unauthorised units do not get connected with ECI-EVMs at any stage.

The candidates can choose any sequence or pattern to cast any number of votes for mock poll, subject to the maximum limit of 1400 votes.

The counting of VVPAT slips will be done as per the procedure on counting of VVPAT slips prescribed by the Commission.

A total of eight applications for Lok Sabha and three for assembly polls were received for checking and verification of burnt memory/microcontroller of EVMs post the announcement of results on June 4.