ITANAGAR, 7 Apr: A total of 180 engineers from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) have arrived in the state and they have been allocated across 25 districts for commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs, the chief electoral office (CEO) here informed in a release on Sunday.
The commissioning of the EVMs and the VVPATs for the upcoming simultaneous elections commenced in all districts on 6 April, and the observers appointed by the Election Commission of India are overseeing the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections.
“Enforcement agencies have placed requisite measures like frisking, metal detectors, and gadget-free commissioning halls, and the commissioning is taking place under tight security, wherein the machines will be made fully ready for the 19 April poll,” it said, adding that the returning officers and the AROs for the assembly constituencies and the parliamentary segments are overseeing the process of commissioning of the EVMs.
“The EVMs and the VVPATs are being thoroughly checked and tested by the deputed ECIL engineers, under 24/7 CCTV cameras, and the contesting candidates or their election agents or authorised representatives have also been invited to witness the process,” it said.
“M3 model of EVMs will be used for the 2024 polls,” the CEO informed.
Meanwhile, the commissioning of the electronic voting machines (EVM) and the VVPATs for the coming assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Rumgong and Pangin assembly constituencies (AC) and the Arunachal West and East parliamentary constituencies began at Boleng in Siang district on Saturday.
The process was initiated in the presence of DEO PN Thungon, Panging AC RO Tajing Jonnom, Rumgong AC RO KP Goiba, AROs, sector magistrates, authorised ECIL engineers, and election agents of various political parties.
Jonnom informed that, “with 84 polling stations in the district, a total of 480 units of VVPATs, control units and ballot units shall be commissioned in the weeklong exercise, wherein more than 90 people participated in the mammoth task today (Saturday).”
Jonnom further informed that “full preparations have been made to counter any exigencies in the nine remote and almost-inaccessible polling stations (seven in Rumgong AC and two in Pangin AC), which entails polling teams to undertake extensive journeys on foot for two to three days, wherein skeletal hanging bridges serve as the only lifeline.”
Mentioning that “Paman Club has been fully sanitised of electronic devices,” EVM nodal officer Jacob Tabing informed that “people shall be casting votes for the assembly constituencies as well as the Lok Sabha polls, and thus two EVMs will be deployed at each polling station.”
“Reserve EVMs and VVPATs shall be deployed with the P-3 and P-2 polling teams, who shall be accompanied by porters,” he added.
Dispatching of the EVMs and the VVPATs to the presiding officers of the polling stations of the district will begin on 16 April.
In West Siang district, Sunday saw the second day of commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs for the upcoming simultaneous elections, at GHSS Aalo.
The commissioning was done in the presence of the general observer, the DEO, and the ROs and AROs of the respective constituencies. The agents of political parties were also present.
The process of commissioning of the voting machines will be completed on 8 April.
There has been no report of huge cash seizure and poll-related violence in the district. ( with inputs from DIPROs)
