All future elections to be held with VVPAT: CEC Nasim Zaidi

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India on Friday said it will ensure 100% coverage of VVPATs in all future election to the Parliament and State Assembly Elections and hold a challenge to offer the opportunity to political parties to demonstrate the alleged temperability of the EVMs used in the recently concluded Assembly polls.

The EC held a meeting with representatives of seven national parties and 35 state parties to address a range of issues including the recent controversy surrounding EVMs and other electoral reforms like making bribery in elections a cognisable offence, framing charges for disqualification of candidates for the offence of bribery and changes in the VVPAT counting rules. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi also indicated that EC was open to the idea of counting VVPAT slips to instil greater confidence in the election process.

The EC will, however, determine the percentage of VVPAT slips to be counted and will evolve a framework fro the same.

Zaidi said EC had taken concerns of political parties on board and the Commission will hold “a challenge and offer opportunity to political parties to demonstrate that EVMs used in the recently concluded Assembly polls were tampered or that EVMs can be tampered even under the laid down Technical & Administrative Safeguards”.