Guwahati: The Election Commission of India has completed the first phase of distribution of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections in five states and by-elections in six constituencies (EVM Distribution First Phase).
In this process, the Commission has placed special emphasis on neutrality and transparency. According to a source from the Election Commission, the process was carried out through the EVM Management System (EMS) in the presence of representatives of recognized political parties.
According to the Election Commission, the distribution of EVMs is conducted in two phases to ensure transparency and impartiality. In the first phase, EVMs are randomly allocated from district-level warehouses to different Assembly constituencies through a lottery-based system. In the second phase, the machines are again randomized and distributed from the constituency level to individual polling stations.
The Commission stated that District Election Officers (DEOs) completed the first phase of EVM distribution strictly following the prescribed guidelines. This process covered the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, along with by-elections in six other states.
According to the Commission, approximately 8.85 lakh EVM units—including Ballot Units (BU), Control Units (CU), and VVPAT machines—were distributed in this first phase.
The process was carried out in the presence of representatives of national and state-recognized political parties to strengthen stakeholders’ confidence in the integrity of the electoral system.
The second phase of distribution will be completed as the polling dates approach.