Enough For ‘EVM Naysayers’? SC Directs EC To Ensure VVPAT-EVM Matching In Five Polling Stations Per Assembly

The Supreme Court of India (SC) has directed the poll panel of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the random audit of VVPAT slips with electronic voting machine (EVMs) outcomes from one polling station per assembly segment to five for the Lok Sabha elections, reports Times of India.

The SC also said that its direction was issued in the spirit of confidence of the voters and credibility of the electoral process.

"The ECI shall make all-out efforts to operationalise and implement the directions of the Supreme Court with immediate effect," a Commission spokesperson said.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not agree with the demand of the 21 opposition parties that the matching of EVM-VVPAT results be done in 50 per cent cases, citing the infeasible requirement of huge manpower and infrastructural difficulties.

With the instructions issued to the ECI, the bench has now disposed off the petition filed by opposition parties. Although the ECI has said that it would strive to follow the directives received from the SC, it can not be ignored that the polling is about to begin in less than a week and this presents a big challenge for the ECI.