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Only the CPI(M) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP will take up the Election Commission’s EVM challenge, to be held on June 3.
The Congress and the AAP have raised some issues about the existing framework of the challenge but will not participate, a spokesperson for the Commission said.
The Congress has said the “extensive terms and conditions” that the poll panel has imposed hampers a thorough test of the EVM. The EC received responses from eight political parties till 5 pm on Friday, the deadline for parties to take up its challenge to demonstrate that the voting machines used in the recent Assembly elections to five States could be tampered with.
The spokesperson said the CPI, BJP and RLD said they were interested in observing the challenge.
Each party is allowed to send a maximum of three people for the challenge and depending on how many parties decide to participate the challenge run for 4-5 days, Commission officials said.
A number of parties, including the AAP and the BSP, had alleged that the EVMs had been tampered with during State elections held in February-March this year.
Addressing a press conference in the capital last week, Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner had expressed the hope that the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in all polling stations will put to rest the controversy about whether EVMs can be tampered with or not.
“I think with the introduction of 100 per cent VVPATs to be used with EVMs at all polling stations in all future elections will conclusively set to rest all the speculations and doubts. This is because the voter will be able to see to whom his or her vote has gone. Besides there will be paper slips. We believe that with the introduction of VVPATs this question will be subject to a final resting place,” he said.
The Commission also announced that it should be in a position to procure all the VVPATs required by September next year. The Union Cabinet recently released over ₹ 3,100 crore to acquire over 1.16 million VVPAT to cover all polling stations where elections are held.
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