Polling demo centre opened in Hubballi

We need not wait till May 12 to know how the VVPAT gives confirmation about our vote exercised through the EVM is recorded correctly. By visiting Mini Vidhan Soudha in the City, one can experience this process now itself.

As the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) attached to the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is being used for first time in this year's Assembly elections, District Systematic Voters' Education & Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Committee is conducting an extensive campaign to create awareness about the use of VVPAT, and the district's first demonstration centre is now opened in Hubballi.

At the very entrance of Mini Vidhan Soudha, you can undergo a mock polling process, cast a dummy vote and get confirmation in the VVPAT display. Staff at this centre give information about the process, while the details of the process are also displayed.

On Saturday, Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Chief Executive Officer Snehal Rayamane, who is also the chairperson of the District SVEEP Committee, inaugurated the demo polling station for Hubballi-Dharwad East constituency, at Mini Vidhan Soudha. "Shortly, similar demonstration centres would be opened for remaining six constituencies in the district, and people can experience the process of using EVM attached with VVPAT, till the elections," she said.

At booth-level

Demonstration of EVM-VVPAT would be conducted in the limits of all 1,628 polling stations in the district, using mobile demonstration units. Later, demonstration would also be conducted at malls, industrial estates and other public places, Ms Snehal noted.

To encourage more women to exercise their franchise, awareness would be created through self-help groups. A meeting of religious leaders would also be conducted next week, so that awareness about voting can be created during religious gatherings. Programmes like awareness rallies, announcement through garbage collection vehicles, and pamphlet distribution would continue, she explained, adding that awareness activity would be conducted in markets also.

Addition, deletion, transfer and correction in the voters' list would be done during the flash enrolment campaign to be held at all polling stations on Sunday (April 8), while the focus would be on first time votes. April 14 is the last to revise the voters' list, she added. She also assured that basic facilities would be arranged in all polling stations.

Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Commissioner Ibrahim Maigur noted that a case would be booked, while six months jail and Rs 1,000 fine would be the punishment, if a person fails to prove in the test vote that EVM-VVPAT is not fair, after challenging it.