Amid EVM Row, EC Asks Govt to Speed up VVPAT Purchase For 2019 LS Polls

New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi has urged the government to release funds for purchase of paper trail machines for use in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, citing "prevailing environment".

The letter comes amid Opposition parties questioning the reliability of the EVMs and pressing for the deployment of more VVPATs, which dispel doubts about votes cast using EVMs.

The BSP, the AAP and the Congress had attacked the EC for allegedly using "tampered" EVMs. Sixteen parties, not including the AAP, had recently petitioned the EC to revert to paper ballot system for greater transparency.

The Election Commission would need over 16 lakh paper trail machines to cover all polling stations in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The cost is estimated at Rs 3,174 crore.

VVPAT is a machine which dispenses a slip with the symbol of the party for which a person has voted for. The slip drops in a box but the voter cannot take it home.

The voters see voter-verifiable paper audit trail slip for seven seconds, which would be an acknowledgement receipt for the party they voted for in the election.

In his March 22 letter to the law minister, Zaidi pointed out that the Commission had informed the apex court that "required number of VVPATS can be manufactured from the date of release of funds in 30 months as per current capacity of the two manufacturers — Bharat Electronics Ltd and

Electronics Corporation of India Ltd".

The CEC said, "The process of procurement of VVPATs cannot be delayed any longer given the prevailing environment... the Commission stands fully committed to deploy VVPATs along with EVMs in all future elections "so that transparency of electoral process is enhanced, integrity of the voting preserved and the voters' confidence in the process is further strengthened".

Since June, 2014, the Commission has given at least 11 reminders to the government seeking funds for VVPAT machines.

Last year, Zaidi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing his attention to the funds needed for the machines. On April 7, Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhury had told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that "the proposal of the Election Commission (to buy VVPATs) is under consideration of the government."

Legislative department of the law ministry is the nodal unit for the poll panel and financial demands and proposals to change laws and rules are referred to it by the EC.