Morning walkers in the city had a pleasant surprise on Sunday with election officials meeting them with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter-verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) in some major walking spaces.
The aim was to spread awareness about EVMs and VVPATs. The officials tried to dispel notions about these machines and assured the voters about their votes would be cast safely and accurately. Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar launched the programme at Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in the morning, and there were similar exercises by other officials at Cubbon Park, Sankey Tank and J.P. Park — all of which attract a large number of walkers on Sundays.
At Lalbagh, Mr. Kumar clarified doubts raised by people about the integrity of the machines. “Software in the EVMs cannot be changed. The EVMs are not connected through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. There is no need for voters to be suspicious. Before being deployed in the elections, [the machines] will be reviewed at three levels before representatives of political parties,” he said, adding that the EVMs are stored in secure places. “The printouts from VVPATs will be tallied with the votes recorded in the EVMs when the need arises,” he added.
Mr. Kumar also administered an oath to NSS students of Vijaya College and explained to youngsters the importance of voting.
According to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner Manjunath Prasad, more such voter awareness campaigns will be taken up in all major public places, including malls and parks. These campaigns will be conducted across the city till April-end.
