For the first time, the Voter Verifiable Paper Auditor Trail (VVPAT) system was used in Tirunelveli constituency in the Assembly polls held on Monday.
The district received 386 Voter Verifiable Paper Auditor Trail (VVPAT) units from Bihar as the Election Commission of India had proposed to introduce this system in Tirunelveli Assembly constituency on ‘pilot basis’ during the Assembly polls to serve as an independent verification system for voting machines.
The VVPAT had been attached to the EVM and generated slips like the receipts being generated at ATMs.
Once the voter pressed the button of his or her choice, a slip was generated to indicate the vote that has been actually cast by the EVM when the voter pressed the button.
The slip, which cannot be touched by the voter, displayed behind a glass case for seven seconds, during which the voter will be able to confirm if the vote had been cast in support of the candidate of his choice.
After seven seconds, the slip automatically fell into a sealed chamber.
In case, the voter alleges that the vote had not been cast in favour of his candidate, he can register a complaint to the presiding officer, who in the presence of others in the particular booth, will cast three trial votes of a particular choice to verify the allegation. If the complaint is genuine, the EVM concerned will be sealed and seized immediately.
If the complaint is found to be false, criminal complaint will be registered immediately against the complainant.
