New Delhi, 11 February (H.S.): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a comprehensive awareness campaign on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal—states and a union territory gearing up for upcoming Assembly elections.

The initiative aims to familiarize voters with the operational mechanics of EVMs and VVPATs, thereby bolstering transparency in the electoral process.According to the ECI, the campaign kicked off first on January 23 in West Bengal. It subsequently commenced on January 25 in Tamil Nadu, January 27 in Puducherry, February 3 in Kerala, and February 5 in Assam.

To facilitate this, District Election Officers (DEOs) have established EVM demo centers at their headquarters, as well as at Returning Officer offices and revenue sub-division headquarters. Complementing these are mobile demo vans that travel to various polling stations, offering hands-on demonstrations of the machines to the public.

The Commission reported that, as of February 10, over 1.20 lakh voters across these five states and the union territory had participated in the demo camps, with more than 1.16 lakh individuals casting mock votes to experience the systems firsthand.

The mobile vans have covered nearly 29,000 polling stations to date.State-wise participation highlights robust engagement: In Assam, 6,570 people visited the demo centers, and 5,794 cast mock votes. Kerala saw 5,859 participants.

In Puducherry, 6,474 voters cast mock votes. Tamil Nadu recorded the highest turnout, with over 75,000 people joining in. West Bengal attracted more than 25,000 visitors to the demos, with over 22,000 casting mock votes.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar