Assembly Poll Prep: ECI Conducts Initial First EVM-VVPAT Randomisation Across Key States, Including Assam

Guwahati: Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, The Election Commission of India (ECI), has successfully concluded the first phase of randomisation for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry, as well as select states holding by-elections.

Earlier on March 15, the Commission had announced the schedule for the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, alongside by-elections in six other states.

As part of its electoral protocol, the ECI follows a two-stage randomisation process to assign EVMs, ensuring impartiality. Initially, machines are randomly dispatched from district warehouses to Assembly Constituencies, and in the second stage, they are further randomised before being allocated to individual polling stations.

Meanwhile, District Election Officers (DEOs) carried out the first randomisation of machines that had cleared First Level Checking (FLC), a technical verification process. For by-elections scheduled on April 9, the exercise was conducted in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, and Tripura.

The process used the EVM Management System (EMS) under the supervision of representatives from national and state political parties, reinforcing transparency and credibility. Detailed constituency-wise lists of the randomised machines have been shared with party representatives at district headquarters.

Following the exercise, EVMs and VVPATs are being securely stored in Assembly strong rooms, monitored under strict security, with party representatives allowed to observe. Once candidate lists are finalised, the Commission will provide detailed lists of both first and second-stage randomised machines to all candidates, ensuring full traceability.

This marks an important step in election Preparation, reinforcing the Commission’s commitment to conduct elections that are free, fair, and transparent.

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