As 89 Lok Sabha seats in 13 states head to the polls for the second phase of parliamentary elections, all eyes are also on the Supreme Court. Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta are set to deliver a crucial verdict on petitions advocating for comprehensive cross verification of votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT).
The VVPAT system, an integral part of the EVM, offers visual verification by printing a slip containing the voter’s choice. Currently, five randomly selected polling booths per Assembly segment undergo verification using VVPAT slips, a practice that has sparked demands from the Opposition for full cross-checking of all VVPAT slips with EVM votes.
Amidst recurring doubts over the reliability of EVMs, proponents of 100% VVPAT verification argue that it would enhance the transparency of the voting process. The issue gained prominence in 2019 when TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu petitioned the Supreme Court, initially demanding 50% randomised VVPAT slip counting. Subsequently, the court increased the number of polling booths for verification from one to five. The Election Commission, however, cautioned that such a measure could delay result announcements by up to five to six days.
In December, the Opposition INDIA alliance, comprising parties like Congress, CPI(M), CPI, Trinamool Congress, DMK, and Samajwadi Party, passed a resolution advocating for 100% VVPAT verification. They argue that ensuring public trust in the electoral process supersedes concerns about result delays.
Meanwhile, as the nation gears up for the second phase of polling, which initially included 89 seats across 13 states but now stands at 88 after the rescheduling of Betul constituency’s polling to the third phase following the demise of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate, several prominent figures are contesting. Key contenders include Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor from Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala respectively, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram, actor-turned-politician Arun Govil from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, D K Shivakumar’s brother D K Suresh from Bangalore Rural, and former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy from Mandya in Karnataka.
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