New Delhi, Apr 23: The Election Commission has placed an order to purchase 16.15 lakh voter verifiable paper audit trail machines which could be used during the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 to impart a greater degree of transparency to the poll process.
The Commission's action came two days after the Modi government sanctioned Rs 3173.47 crore for the purchase of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) against the backdrop over a controversy over malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines and allegations of incorrect recording of votes favouring a particular party.
'This will enhance transparency and uphold the voters’ right to know which party he or she has voted for, thereby increasing voters’ confidence in the free and fair electoral process,' Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said in a statement here.
The Commission said the VVPAT machines will be manufactured by both the PSUs only as per the design approved by it. The design will be based on recommendation of the Technical Experts Committee on EVMs constituted by the Commission.
“The Commission shall closely monitor the production of VVPATs for timely delivery well before General Elections 2019,” a statement by the poll authority said.
Sixteen parties had recently petitioned the EC to revert to paper ballot system for greater transparency. The BSP, the AAP and the Congress had attacked the EC on the issue of alleged tampering of EVMs.
The VVPAT machines leave a paper trail which helps an elector confirm whether the EVM has faithfully registered the vote has been cast to a particular candidate.
Between September, 2013 and March this year, the Commission has written 38 times to the government on the procurement of VVPATs, according to an affidavit filed by the poll panel in the Supreme Court on the issue.
The idea of an additional layer of transparency for the satisfaction of voters in the form of a ‘voter verifiable paper trail’ was suggested by the political parties in a meeting taken by the ECI on 4th October, 2010.
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