EVM allocation after third round of randomisation, say officials

Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur districts have 1,677 polling stations

The second-level randomisation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the 1,677 polling stations in Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur districts were held on Tuesday as part of the upcoming local bodies elections.

Election officials said these EVMs that include control units and ballot units were checked and certified by a team of engineers from BEL, before the randomisation process was taken up in the presence of district election officers, observers, candidates and representatives of political parties in these districts. The second round of randomisation was done only after the candidates were finalised. The EVMs for polling stations will be allocated after the third round of randomisation.

In Vellore, the second randomisation was launched by District Election Officer P. Kumaravel Pandian, in the presence of election officials and representatives of political parties. “Adequate infrastructural facilities like separate pathways for election officials, candidates and police are being created at counting centres in the district. The existing surveillance system is also being strengthened,” said D. Bhaskara Pandian, District Election Officer (Ranipet).