Election Commission allows post-result mock polls to check EVM integrity | India News

NEW DELHI: Election Commission has revised its customary working procedures (SOPs) for post-result checking of burnt reminiscence or microcontroller of EVM (EVM C&V), permitting the candidates who completed second or third, to additionally go for a mock ballot on the chosen EVM models, as well as to the easy diagnostic check already provided.As per the sooner SOPs issued on June 1, 2024, EVMs may very well be subjected to C&V as a set, that’s, a mix of poll unit, management unit and VVPAT, as utilized in an precise election. A diagnostic check can be carried out below the supervision of the district in-charge engineer of the producer, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) or Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and the district election officer. There was no provision for a mock ballot.The new administrative SOPs, issued on June 17, 2025, have additionally break up the fees to be paid by the candidates making use of for EVM checks, into two slabs. While plain EVM C&V cost is now fastened at Rs 23,600, inclusive of 18% GST, C&V check with mock ballot will value the applicant candidates Rs 47,200 (GST included). These fees shall be payable to the EVM producer. However, if the EVM is discovered to be tampered with or modified, the fees will likely be refunded to the applicant involved and borne by central or state govt, relying on the election.Eligible candidates can, inside seven days of declaration of outcome, request a check or verification of burnt reminiscence for any tampering or modification in 5% of EVMs – BU, CU and VVPAT – per meeting constituency or meeting phase of a parliamentary constituency.The new SOPs have additionally minimize the interval for the chief electoral officer to ship the consolidated record of EVM C&V functions acquired, to the EVM producers, to 15 days from the date of declaration of outcome, in opposition to 30 days earlier.Meanwhile, in one other necessary choice, EC, involved on the doable misuse of nonetheless and video information maintained by it for every stage of the election course of, has fastened the interval of retention of such information to 45 days, supplied no election petition is filed.Time limits starting from six months to a 12 months had been beforehand laid down for retention of pictures and videography from completely different levels of elections – pre-nomination, nomination, EVM preparation, polling, counting and declaration of outcome – regardless that not obligatory below the legislation.“The instructions to destroy records after 45 days is prospective,” an EC official instructed TOI, hinting that they could kick in solely with the upcoming Bihar meeting ballot.“The retention period is in sync with the 45-day time-bar for filing election petitions. When an election petition is filed, the relevant records will not be destroyed till after the petition is disposed of finally,” added the officer.EC, in a letter despatched to the all state CEOs on May 30, had justified the modified directions by citing the “recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media by selective and out-of-context use of such content, which will not lead to any legal outcome”.