Mangaluru: The preliminary processes have already begun in the wake of the forthcoming assembly elections in Karnataka. In this regard, political parties should cooperate with the district administration, said Deputy Commissioner Dr. Sasikant Senthil .
Presiding over a meeting at his office on January 16, DC Sasikant Senthil said, “The Election Commission is committed to conducting the forthcoming elections in open and fair terms. In this regard, every political party should appoint a responsible person to deal with the district administration on its behalf” and added “The district administration will keep political parties abreast with all circulars and notifications issued by the Election commission related to assembly polls in the state.”
This time, VVPATS will be used along with EVM machines. VVPAT will print the details after the vote is cast by the individual voter and the same will be visible for 2 seconds to enable the voter to confirm his ballot, before it goes into a box assigned for the purpose, DC Senthil explained.
The due date to include, change and amend the name in voters’ list has been extended to January 22, he said. Both voters and political parties must check the electoral rolls thoroughly in order to eliminate the confusion on the day of polling, Sasikanth Senthil advised. DC sought cooperation from all the booths in the voters’ list revision process, failing which, he warned of taking serious action against them.
Political parties should refrain from the use of banners and buntings at public places during the election. This not only prevents unpleasant incidents during elections but also aids cost saving for political parties and candidates, Senthil said.
Single window system would be in place to deal with campaigning related issues and for granting necessary permissions during elections, Senthil stated.
ADC Kumar and various political party leaders including Sadashiva Ullal, Dhiraj Pal, Mohammad Hanif representing (Congress), Ravindra Kumar (BJP) and Vasant Poojari (Janata Dal-Secular) were present at the meeting.
What is VVPAT?
A Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) unit provides feedback to the voters using EVMs for voting. The VVPAT functions as an independent verification system for EVMs and allows voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. It also serves as an additional barrier to changing or destroying votes.
How a VVPAT unit works?
VVPAT device functions like a printer attached to the ballot unit and kept inside the voting compartment. When the voter presses the button against the name of the candidate of her/his choice on the EVM unit, the VVPAT unit generates a paper slip, also called “ballot slip.” This paper slip contains the name, serial number and symbol of the chosen candidate. The voter can see this slip through a screened window where it stays for seven seconds and then it automatically gets cut and falls into a sealed drop box. Thus, the ballot slip neither goes into the hands of the voter nor others get to see it.
The Ballot Slip can only be accessed by the polling officers in the rarest of the rare cases.
