Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 | FAQs: What happens when EVMs and VVPATs don't match?

The state of Bihar is all set to go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, to elect 243 members of the Bihar legislative assembly. The results will be declared on November 14.

The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) along with EVMs will be used at all the polling stations in the forthcoming elections.

As Bihar prepares itself to elect its representatives for the next five years, here is all you need to know about EVMs and VVPATs.

What is EVM?

An EVM is a device that allows the casting of votes using electronic means. It aids in or takes care of the casting and counting of votes, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

An EVM is designed with two units - the control unit and the balloting unit.

What is VVPAT?

The VVPAT is a machine that is employed as a verification method through which voters can learn if their votes were cast as they intended. A VVPAT prints a paper slip of the candidate a person votes for with the name, serial number and symbol of the party. VVPATs are designed to detect malfunctions and election fraud.

The ECI has recommended that officials match data from EVMs and VVPATs so as to ensure safety and transparency. So, what will happen if they do not match?

What happens when the data from EVMs and VVPAT don't match?

In case of a discrepancy between the information on VVPATs and the EVMs, the paper slips of the particular polling station in question are recounted.

If the discrepancy persists, the count established by the VVPAT paper slips prevails over the vote count registered on the EVMs.