Why the Supreme court in the country move on VVPAT before voting in 2024 ?
The supreme court of the country has taken an important step on VVPAT and EVMs. The supreme court has sent a notice to the Election Commission on VVPAT and EVMs on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections. Since 2019, the Congress had raised various questions about VVPAT and EVMs.
VVPAT full form and what is its function?
VVPAT full form is Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail, VPR full form Verified Paper Record. It’s a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system.
It is an independent verification system for voting machines designed to ensure that voters have been given their votes correctly.
Also a process to detect potential electoral frauds or glitches by providing a means to audit stored electronic results. It includes the name of the candidate for whom the vote has been cast and the symbol of the party or independent candidate.
What did congress say about VVPAT?
After the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were declared, the Congress had raised various questions about the VVPAT and EVMs.
It was alleged that around 6.5 lakh faulty VVPAT machines were used in the 2019 general and subsequent state elections. For which the Congress urged the Central Government and the Election Commission to clarify on the use of defective VVPAT machines.
Congress leader Pawan Khera while addressing a press conference in 2023 said that in 2018, the Election Commission had procured a total of 17.5 lakh VVPAT machines.
Around 37 per cent of them were found to be defective in 2021. The Election Commission later sent letters to the makers and the machines were used in the 2019 Lok Sabha and subsequent assembly elections.
From where did the Election Commission buy VVPAT ?
The three companies that the Election Commission bought faulty VVPAT machines were Rs 4 lakh from ECIL in Hyderabad, 1.8 lakh from BEL in Bengaluru and 68,500 from Panchkula BEL.
What discrepancies in the VVPAT were detected during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections?
The 6.5 lakh faulty VVPAT machines providing paper trail of votes cast using electronic voting machines were in the same series. Due to which thousands of EVMs malfunctioned during voting.
What did the Opposition say after the 2019 Lok Sabha election results?
Leaders of opposition political parties had approached the apex court suspecting lakhs of VVPAT malfunctions. In the court, the opposition demanded that physical verification of VVPAT paper trail of 50 percent of polling stations should be done.
What did the court say then on the opposition’s plea ?
The supreme court had agreed to hear a PIL seeking VVPAT authentication at the beginning of counting EVM votes. The Supreme Court advised the Election Commission of India to inform the Election Commission of India and said that it will look at what can be done.
It was also mentioned that the apex court would hear the matter after senior counsel Meenakshi Arora later said VVPAT verification was done after the counting of votes was over.
Why is the VVPAT in the news ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
On the basis of a petition filed by Arun Kumar Agrawal on April 2, 2024, the court of Justices B.R. Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta demanded that 100 percent VVPAT should be checked and not 50 per cent of the certification of VVPAT. This is because the central government has purchased about 224 lakh VVPATs at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore.
The petition filed by Arun Kumar Agrawal contained four important questions
1. That the respondent ECI mandatorily cross verify the court in EVM with votes that have been verifiably recorded as cast by the voter through the VVPATs by counting all VVPAT paper slips
2 That Guideline No 14.7(h) of the manual of Electronic Voting Machine and VVPAT dated Aug 2203 as framed and issued by ECI be quashed in so far as it allows only sequential verification of VVPAT slips resulting in undue delay in counting of all VVPT slips.
3. That the ECI allow a voter o Physically drop the VVPAT slip as generated by the VVPAT in a ballot box to ensure that the voters ballot has been counted as recorded
4 That the respondents make the glass of the VVPT machine transparent and the duration of the light long enough for the Voter to see the paper recording his vote cut and drop into the drop box
The Election Commission has to respond to the court’s notice on May 17.
What is the opposition saying about VVPAT right now?
Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Modi was trying to fix matches in the current elections. The BJP will not get even 180 seats if he does not buy match fixing, social media as well as media persons.
Tejashwi Yadav alleged that they would say anything that they would get 400 Khan seats. But it is the voters who decide who will rule the country. So this time people will vote with conscience. From their words it seems as if EVMs have been fixed before the elections.