Trichy District Administration Initiates Critical EVM and VVPAT Preparation for Assembly Elections
The election office of the Trichy district administration officially commenced the vital procedure of loading candidate information and election symbols into electronic voting machines on Thursday. This preparatory work is a crucial step ahead of the assembly election polling day scheduled for April 23.
Extensive Allocation of Voting Equipment for Nine Constituencies
According to official statements from the district administration, a substantial allocation of voting equipment has been made for the upcoming electoral process. The district has received 3,341 control units (CU), 5,621 ballot units (BU), and 3,619 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units to serve the nine assembly constituencies within its jurisdiction.
The loading of candidate names and their respective symbols into both the electronic voting machines and VVPAT units was systematically carried out throughout Thursday. This operation was conducted at multiple designated venues across the district, including panchayat union offices, revenue divisional offices, tahsildar offices, and various other government facilities located within the respective constituencies.
Transparent Process Under Official Supervision
District Collector Saravanan personally inspected the ongoing loading operations to ensure proper execution and adherence to protocols. To maintain complete transparency throughout the procedure, candidates and their authorized representatives were present at the venues to observe the entire process firsthand.
As part of the mandatory verification protocol, election officials conducted comprehensive mock polls on randomly selected EVM and VVPAT units. During these tests, they recorded 1,000 simulated votes on the equipment. The VVPAT slips generated during this process were then physically counted and meticulously cross-verified against the electronic results displayed by the machines to confirm their absolute accuracy and reliability.
Secure Storage and Future Distribution Protocols
Once the preparation phase is fully completed, all electronic voting machines and VVPAT units will be transferred to secure strong rooms for safekeeping. This storage will strictly follow the established guidelines and protocols set by the Election Commission of India to prevent any tampering or unauthorized access.
The strong rooms containing the voting equipment will remain sealed until the day of distribution to polling stations. On that day, the rooms will be opened in the presence of candidates or their officially designated agents. The entire distribution process will be recorded on video to create a transparent, verifiable record of the chain of custody for all voting machines.
