BJP’s Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines.
New Delhi:
The Election Fee has acquired eight functions from aggrieved candidates, together with these from the BJP and the Congress, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded within the EVMs publish declaration of Lok Sabha election outcomes on June 4.
Terming the suspicion of manipulation of the digital voting machines “unfounded”, the Supreme Court docket had on April 26 rejected the demand for reverting to the previous paper poll system.
However on the identical time, the highest courtroom had opened a window for the aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third locations within the ballot outcomes and allowed them to hunt verification of micro-controller chips embedded in 5 per cent EVMs per meeting constituency on a written request upon the cost of a payment to the ballot panel.
BJP’s Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines from 40 polling stations.
Vikhe-Patil had misplaced to Nilesh Lanke of NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction.
A YSRCP and a DMDK candidate too have utilized for the verification, in line with knowledge shared by the ballot panel.
In response to the EC, eight parliamentary seats unfold throughout six states are concerned. The whole variety of polling stations for which verification has been sought is 92.
Candidates who come second or third and search verification of the EVMs must pay Rs 47,200 per EVM set, in line with the usual working process issued by the EC on June 1.
In response to the EC’s Commonplace Working Process (SOP), the associated fee submitted by producers BEL and ECIL to hold out EVM “verify and verification” is Rs 40,000 (plus 18 per cent GST) per set of EVM.
“Along with the associated fee incurred by the producers, there are additionally administrative prices like value of labour to shift the items, CCTV protection, electrical energy fees, videography prices and numerous different operational prices on the district election officer stage,” the doc stated.
It, nonetheless, stated to make the verification course of “extra accessible” and inclusive in compliance to the referred mandate of the Supreme Court docket, it’s determined that as an alternative of going purely by the precise financial prices incurred, the executive expenditure on EVM verification might be handled as “election expenditure and borne by the central or state authorities, because the case could also be”.
“Accordingly, the executive fees might be waived for the candidates — the identical shall not be charged to the candidates,” it famous.
The costs for EVM verification to be paid by the applicant candidate is for the present monetary yr 2024-25 — until March 31, 2025, it stated.
An EVM set has no less than one Poll Unit, one Management Unit and a VVPAT machine.
Individually, YSRCP and BJD candidates from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively have additionally utilized for EVM verify following the announcement of meeting outcomes on June 4.
Meeting polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh had been held together with the Lok Sabha elections.
Within the verification train for meeting ballot outcomes, whole meeting constituencies concerned are three the place verification has been sought in 26 polling stations.
In response to the SOP, the involved state chief electoral officer (CEO) was required to speak to the producers the consolidated record of candidates inside 30 days of the date of declaration of outcomes — by July 4. The CEOs have already conveyed the identical to the producers 15 days forward of the schedule, the EC stated.
The technical SOP enumerating the methodology and steps for checking and verification of burnt reminiscence/ micro-controller of the EVM items might be issued by the EC sooner or later.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
