ECI to soon call all party meeting on EVM issue: Nasim Zaidi

April 29, 2017

Chandigarh, Apr 29: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will soon call a meeting of all political parties to assure them that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tampering-proof and secured, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said today.

He also said that the commission intends to use Voter- Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in all coming elections to bring in more transparency and boosting the confidence of people in the electoral process.

"We will soon hold an all party meeting in which they will be told how our EVMs are non-tamperable and secured as per our administrative and technical safeguard system," the CEC told reporters here.

He was responding to questions about allegations levelled by various political parties against EVMs. Recently sixteen opposition parties had urged the ECI to revert to ballot system, claiming the faith of the people in EVMs had been "eroded".

Zaidi also said that the ECI is planning to "hold a challenge" for which time frame is being worked out.
The electoral body is planning to throw an open challenge, asking anyone to try hacking its EVMs to dispel doubts of any misuse, it is learnt.

The CEC also said that the ECI had placed an order for the supply of VVPAT machines for use in elections.
"For VVPAT, we have got all the funds. We have placed an order for the supply of 15 lakh VVPAT with two PSUs Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronic Corporation of India (ECI)," informed Zaidi.

He said it is expected that by September 2018, around 15 lakh VVPAT machines will be ready.
The Commission's objective is to use VVPATs in all the coming elections, he said.

India will "perhaps" be the first country where VVPAT will be used 100 per cent at all the poling stations. It will boost voters' confidence and will bring more transparency in the election process, he added.

Zaidi said that an awareness campaign will be launched to create awareness about the benefits of VVPAT.
VVPAT generates a receipt allowing voters to verify that the the vote went in favour of the candidate against whose name the button was pressed on the EVM.

After the Assembly elections earlier this year in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur, many political parties raised their voice against the use of EVMs.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was vociferous alleging probable misuse of EVMs while BSP leader Mayawati, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had also raised question about the polling machines.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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