As per the Supreme Court and Election Commission of India guidelines, VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations in each of Maharashtra’s 288 assembly constituencies were verified during the counting process on November 23, 2024. A total of 1,440 VVPAT units were reviewed, with no discrepancies found between the slips and EVM results, the CEO confirmed in a statement.
“It is mandatory to count VVPAT slips of Randomly Selected 5 Polling Stations per Assembly Constituency /Assembly Segment as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of lndia,” the CEO stated.
“VVPAT Slip count of randomly selected 5 polling stations per Assembly Constituency has been conducted on 23/11/2024 during the counting procedure, in front of the Counting Observer / Representatives of Candidates,” the statement read.
“As per that, slip count of 1440 VVPAT units from 288 Assembly Constituencies of Maharashtra State has been tallied with respective Control Unit data. There is no discrepancy found between VVPAT slip count and EVM Control unit count as per the reports received from the concerned DEOs. Due procedure laid by ECI has been followed,” it added.
The Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) is a method of providing feedback to voters who use electronic voting machines. The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is a process of voting using electronic machines and counting.
The CEO’s statement comes in the wake of heightened political drama, with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) boycotting the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and newly elected MLAs. The MVA alleged misuse of EVMs and questioned the legitimacy of the “thumping majority” achieved by the ruling alliance.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, speaking on behalf of the opposition, said, “When a government comes to power with such a massive mandate, a question arises whether it was truly the people’s mandate or influenced by EVMs and the Election Commission.”
Adding to the discontent, Kolewadi village in Satara district passed a resolution demanding that future elections be conducted via ballot papers instead of EVMs. This decision followed a similar protest in Solapur’s Markadwadi village, where residents attempted to conduct mock polls using ballot papers, leading to administrative action and arrests.
Villagers of Kolewadi, citing doubts over the integrity of EVMs, resolved to vote only if future elections use ballot papers. “We won’t participate in polls conducted through EVMs,” said a villager, echoing concerns that former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan lost his seat despite expected support in the area.
While the Satara district administration has yet to receive an official copy of Kolewadi’s resolution, the Election Commission reiterated its commitment to ensuring credible elections, emphasising the robust VVPAT-EVM verification process.
The Election Commission highlighted the transparency brought about by VVPAT slip verification, which allows stakeholders to cross-check votes with EVM data. The flawless match of 1,440 VVPAT slips across Maharashtra’s constituencies reaffirms the reliability of the electoral process.
