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Is India's EVM and VVPAT System Truly Transparent?

Election integrity concerns rise as India's EVM and VVPAT system faces scrutiny amid reports of discrepancies. Calls for a complete count of VVPAT slips amplify as the demand for electoral transparency grows louder.

By Neeraj Thakur
New Update
EVM

Is India's EVM and VVPAT System Truly Transparent? | Representative image | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement

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India’s highest court is deliberating on petitions seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to mandatorily cross verify the count in Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) records by tallying all VVPAT slips. The Supreme Court had earlier sought responses from the ECI and the Centre on the pleas filed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal seeking the complete counting of all VVPAT slips in the general elections

While the final decision on the matter rests with the Supreme Court just days ahead of the upcoming elections, this case likely ranks among the most important matters currently under the scrutiny of India’s apex court. Its ramifications on the forthcoming elections cannot be overstated. A favourable ruling has the potential to establish a strong precedent, clearing the way for transparent, free and fair electoral process in the country.

How does the current EVM-VVPAT system function? 

The Electronic Voting Machine comprises two main components: the Ballot Unit (BU) and the Control Unit (CU). When a voter casts their vote using the EVM, they press a button on the Ballot Unit corresponding to their chosen candidate, which triggers a beep. Simultaneously, the VVPAT machine prints out a slip confirming the voter's selection, displaying the candidate's name, serial number, and symbol. This slip remains visible to the voter for seven seconds through an illuminated window for verification. After this, a loud beep signifies the completion of the voting process. Notably, only the printi

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