VVPATs to be used in all polling booths for the first time in Bengal

EOI | 2 February 2019 | Kolkata: For the first time in the state, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will be used in all polling booths along with the EVM machines, Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) said on Friday.

He said that the EVM and VVPAT machines are secure and have proved effective on all parameters. He ruled out the possibility of reintroduction of ballot papers and said for the past two decades EVMs have been used and have been every effective.

It may be mentioned that the Opposition leaders, while addressing the United India rally, had demanded reintroduction of ballot papers as EVMs can be tampered with very easily. Arora said: "Tampering and malfunctioning have different meanings but the words have been used in ways as if they are synonymous."

A full team of ECI led by the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, paid a visit to review the poll preparedness of the state government. The bench held meetings will leaders of the political parties, District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police, nodal officers of Income Tax, Excise and Commercial tax departments and representatives of civil society groups.

The Commission met state Chief Secretary Malay De, Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya and DGP Virendra and took stock of the law and order situation. Arora said that the Commission will seek an explanation from Rajeev Kumar, Commissioner of Kolkata Police, who did not attend the meeting on Thursday.

The Commission has asked all the District Magistrates and police officers to ensure speedy execution of Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) and speedy disposal of pending cases of electoral offences from the last election. The Commission also directed effective use of IT applications Samadhan, Suvidha and Sugam.

The CEC said the Central forces will be under police observers and assured a free and fair election. Special security arrangements will be made in the sensitive areas. Adequate CCTV coverage and webcasting in polling stations will be there in sensitive areas.

Asked whether the ECI will be able to stop intimidation of voters, Arora assured that election will be free and fair and that the state government has been instructed to take up the law and order issue seriously.

He said to ensure impartial monitoring of the election, accessibility observers will be appointed for the first time. The Commission will appoint general observers, police observers, expenditure observers and micro observers.

The CEC said representatives of the political parties had requested to deploy Central forces one month before the election and they should carry out route march in the sensitive areas.

Some parties had demanded that district officials be instructed to ensure verification of licensed arms and to take effective action against unlicensed arms.