By TwoCircles.net Special Correspondent,
Aizawl: Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system will be used for the first time in Mizoram assembly elections on a large scale which is scheduled to be held on November 25.
Election Commission officials informed that it will be used in 10 constituencies.
VVPAT or verified paper record (VPR) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballot-less voting system. A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results.
The VVPAT system was first experimented in the Noksen Assembly by poll recently in Nagaland. Chief Electoral officer, Ashwini Kumar, who is looking after the new system, said that they are trying their best to make it a success. “The VVPAT is a new thing which is being used for the first time. There are lot of people who are not aware of it. We have trained our polling officials in all these 10 assembly segments properly,” Kumar told reporters.
The EC has already published and telecast advertisements in newspapers, television and radio besides hoardings and posters regarding the usage of VVPAT.
Ashwini Kumar also said that there are 217 polling stations in the 10 assembly segments where five to six visual ads will be put up for the convenience of voters.
The leaders of the opposition have expressed their happiness at the pioneering step taken up by the EC so as to minimize the chances of tampering.
Security Arrangements:
To avoid any untoward incident during the polls, an additional 31 companies of central para-military forces and police from neighbouring states have been deployed besides seven armed battalions of the state police. Another major worry factor in the path of free and fair elections is the Manipur border from where militants from the neighbouring state might enter the state.
Security has also been tightened along the unfenced 64 km border near the tri-junction of Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh in Mamit district.
Security has also been beefed up in 94 polling stations which are located along the border areas out of 1,126 in the state after being marked as ‘critical’.