Assam: First-level checking of EVMs begins in state

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: As part of preparations for the Assam Legislative Assembly election, 2026, the Election Department, Assam, started the first-level checking (FLC) of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) in the state today. This checking is mandatory before any general elections.

According to sources in the state Election Department, Assam has 35 election districts. The first phase of FLC covers 11 election districts - Barpeta, Biswanath, Cachar, Darrang, Dhubri, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Sonitpur and Tinsukia. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sent observers for the FLC.

The engineers of ECIL (Electronic Corporation India Ltd), which manufactures EVMs and VVPATs, will check each and every machine in the presence of election officers and representatives of political parties. The team will segregate the defective EVMs and VVPATs for sending them to the ECIL headquarters, and the machines without any defects will remain in the stores of various election districts for use. The department has set January 7, 2026, to complete the FLC in the 35 election districts.

Senior officials from the ECI conducted a workshop in Guwahati regarding the procedure to be followed in the FLC recently. The FLC of EVMs and VVPATs in the Kamrup (Metro) district will be from December 24, 2025.

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