The Election Commission of India (ECI) received on Thursday eleven applications to verify the burnt memory of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units. Eight of these applications contested the recent 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including three from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), three from the Indian National Congress (INC), and two from the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). Additionally, the ECI received three verification applications from candidates in state Assembly elections, with two applications from a YSRCP candidate in Andhra Pradesh and one from a Biju Janata Dal candidate in Odisha.
This procedural step follows the Supreme Court’s April 26 ruling in Association for Democratic Reforms v. Election Commission of India, which grants runners-up of elections the right to seek verification of burnt memories of EVM and VVPAT units. According to the ECI’s standard operating procedure, the District Election Officer (DEO) is responsible for verification processes. Candidates must submit written requests to their respective DEOs and deposit Rs40,000 per EVM set. The expenses will be refunded if tampering is found, and election petitions can be filed until July 19. The finalized standard operating procedure is expected to be released by August.
In a related development, the ECI on April 25, issued election code violation notices to the BJP and INC. These violations pertain to the Model Code of Conduct breaches by star campaigners, including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the BJP and senior INC leader Rahul Gandhi.
For further details, you can refer to the original report on JURIST.