EVM commissioning for Assam polls from March 31; over 41,000 ballot units to be prepared

The commissioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections will begin on March 31 across all 126 constituencies, election officials said.

The process will be carried out at designated premises notified by District Election Officers, under the supervision of engineers and technical staff from Electronics Corporation of India Limited to ensure adherence to guidelines set by the Election Commission of India.

Officials stated that the commissioning will be conducted in the presence of contesting candidates and their authorised representatives to maintain transparency. 

A total of 41,353 Ballot Units (BUs), 45,572 Control Units (CUs), and 44,830 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units will be prepared for deployment.

Additionally, reserve EVMs comprising 9,863 BUs, 14,082 CUs, and 13,340 VVPATs have also been arranged. As per norms, symbol loading in each VVPAT unit will be carried out using Symbol Loading Units (SLUs), with candidates and their representatives allowed to verify the process.

Authorities said that, in line with transparency measures, candidates or their representatives may also randomly select up to five per cent of the EVMs and VVPATs for mock poll verification.

Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly is scheduled for April 9, while counting will take place on May 4. This will be the first Assembly election in the state after the recent delimitation exercise.