In view of the upcoming Assam Legislative Assembly elections, the First-Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units under lower Assam’s Tamulpur district will be conducted in accordance with the directives of the Election Commission of India from February 21 to 24. The FLC process will be conducted at Tamulpur Higher Secondary School from 9am to7pm each day. During the period, the EVMs and VVPATs will undergo physical verification, cleaning, deletion of old data, functionality testing, and mock poll exercises. Engineers deputed from Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad, will conduct the technical examination, and trained personnel will be engaged to ensure proper functioning of the machines.
The total number of machines to be checked in Tamulpur district includes: 660 Ballot Units, 900 Control Units and 750 VVPATs. The First-Level Checking process will be conducted in the presence of representatives of recognized national and state political parties to ensure transparency. Additionally, the entire process will be monitored through webcasting under the supervision of the Election Commission of India and the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam. Entry into the checking hall will be strictly regulated in accordance with the guidelines of the Election Commission of India.
It may be noted that this First-Level Checking is an important preparatory step to ensure that elections are conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and smooth manner. After completion of the process, the EVMs and VVPATs will be securely stored in the designated strong room at Tamulpur Higher Secondary School under proper security and surveillance.