North Paravur in Ernakulam district has an important place in the history of electronic voting in India. It was in the Paravur Assembly constituency that the machines were first tried out in an election. That particular attempt was a failure, largely due to a technicality.
EVMs were used for a byelection in 50 of the polling booths in North Paravur on May 19, 1982. Congress candidate A.C. Jose lost the election to CPI’s Sivan Pillai. Jose successfully moved court, arguing that EVMs were not envisaged in the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Supreme Court upheld his stand and ordered a repolling.
In 1982-83, EVMs were used in 10 byelections across the country. In December 1988, the new Section 61 A, which gives legal sanctity to EVMs, was added to the Representation of the People Act. The SC upheld its validity in 2001.
