On Tuesday, July 16th, 2024, the Election Commission of India (ECI) gave various choices to aggrieved candidates who had applied for Supreme Court-directed checking of (Electronic Voting Machines) EVM tampering post-Lok Sabha and assembly results, including picking machines from any polling station in an assembly segment and opting for a mock poll and mock VVPAT slip count.

The EC's regular operating procedure states that a large selection of random tests had been provided to the candidates who placed second and third. According to the EC, the prospect of any prejudice or concern over hidden functionality in the firmware is eliminated by going above and beyond the controlled environment testing and verification procedure of burned memory. The supreme poll body states that confirming burned memory in a controlled environment check and verification method removes any chance or concern about bias or concealed functionality in the firmware.

EVM tampering

Following the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results on June 4, the Election Commission has received eight petitions from disgruntled contestants, including those from the Congress and the BJP, seeking proof of tampering or alteration in micro-controller chips implanted in the EVMs. Defending as "unfounded" the allegations of electronic voting machine tampering, the Supreme Court had on April 26 denied the request to reverse to old ballot paper system.

Supreme Court's Stance on EVM Tampering

They were able to verify the micro-controller chips included in five percent of the EVMs in each assembly constituency thanks to this feature. The EC's standard operating procedure (SOP) recommended that the disgruntled applicants who placed second and third have access to a large number of random tests. In addition to selecting machines from any polling station within an assembly segment, choosing to conduct a mock poll and mock VVPAT slip count are other alternatives for verifying EVMs.

The eligible candidates may designate polling places or machine serial numbers from within the assembly segment or constituency; however, no more than 5% of the EVMs utilized in that segment or seat may be chosen for inspection and verification. Additionally, the candidates might choose tomix and match EVM units from any polling station in the assembly constituency has also been offered.

This will guarantee that the EVMs are selected by the applicant from all around the constituency, free from the intervention of authorities or a third party who could choose to include or exclude any specific machine. Additionally, there is an option to combine EVM units from any polling place inside the assembly constituency.

Any candidate who chooses a specific unit from the set utilized at a polling station, whether it is a ballot unit, control unit, or VVPAT, is not required to choose additional units from the same set. One EVM is equal to at least one ballot unit, one control unit, and one VVPAT or paper trail machine.

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