Voter Verifiable Paper Trail in five states in India

To put at rest allegations of election fraud, the Election Commission of India would conduct “simulated elections” with prototype Voter Verifiable Paper Trail (VVPT) systems at five centres across India, including Cheerapunjee, Meghalaya on July 24.

Apart from Cheerapunjee, the simulated elections would be held on the same date at Ladakh, Thiruvananthapuram, East Delhi District and Jaisalmer. The idea is to test the prototype in the harshest of weather conditions and based on the feedback of experts, poltical parties and civil societies the VVPT would be inducted for conduct of future polls in India.

The VVPT is a prototype of the present Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) fitted with a printing apparatus. Apart from registering votes electronically, the VVPT would also print out the ballot, which can be cast in a ballot box by the voter. In case of any controversy, the ballots can be counted and verified with the electronic votes registered in the EVMs.

Officials said, the decision to test the VVPT was taken after the Commission’s meeting with all political parties in October last year and repeated allegations that EVMs are being tampered to manipulate election results. The election commission then referred the matter to the Technical Expert Committee on EVM for further examination and recommendations.

The Expert Committee held several rounds of meetings with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) officials on this issue and then met the political parties and civil society members engaged with the Commission on the issue of EVMs.

On the direction of the Expert Committee, BEL and ECIL prepared a prototype of VVPAT system and demonstrated it before the Committee and the Commission. The Expert Committee has now recommended that the prototype should be tested in extreme environmental conditions to get an effective assessment. The trial would be held in a real election-like conditions.

“ The mock election would be held in 35 polling booths in Cheerapunjee. Poll personnel would be trained for the occasion,” Meghalaya's Chief Electoral Officer, Prashant Naik said.


Earlier, various political parties in the country, including the Asom Gana Parishad, in the state of Assam, have been demanding that the VVPT system be introduced for conduct of “free and fair elections” in the country. AGP has alleged that EVMs were tampered in the last Assam Assembly elections, which has resulted in Congress’ landslide victory.

The United Democratic Party, a state political party in Meghalaya, during the 7th Cegional Consultation on Electoral Reforms in Guwahati in June 12, said: “majority of people in India do not have faith in EVMs.” The party demanded that a “referendum in India on the use of EVMs could be conducted by the Election Commission so as to analyse the faith of the people on such paperless voting methods.”

Meanwhile, the election commission has said results of the simulated election would be declared on July 25 and also decided to request National and State Parties to extend necessary cooperation in the trial process and have a have a first hand experience of the system.