Sikkim: Gangtok district election office unseals warehouse containing reserved EVMs and VVPATs, machines to be tallied

The Gangtok District Election Office unsealed a warehouse containing reserved Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) on April 24. 

The unsealing process, which took place at the District Administration Centre, was witnessed by representatives of various political parties. Officials present included Mr Rohan Agawane, Additional District Collector, Mr Milan Rai, Additional District Collector (HQ), Mr Karma Wangyal Bhutia, Deputy Director Election Department, and Ms Dhanmaya Rasaily, Under Secretary Election Department. 

The unsealed EVMs and VVPATs were categorised into Reserved and Rejected (damaged) EVMs. The reserved EVMs were not used in the 2024 General Elections in Gangtok district, while the rejected EVMs were those that malfunctioned during the First Level Checking and Commissioning process. 

The machines will now be tallied, and a final report on each reserved and rejected EVM will be sent to the political parties to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. The machines were resealed in the presence of party representatives after the tallying process.

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