New Delhi: Voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will find, for the first time, the faces of the candidates along with their respective party symbols in the EVMs.

The Election Commission (EC) is introducing a slew of new or improved measures as it aims to make the elections free, fair and transparent — with a dash of eco-friendliness thrown in for good measure. The poll panel announced that for the first time Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be used in all EVMs.

In a bid to dissuade leaders with proven criminal records, contestants with criminal antecedents would be required to “publish information in this regard in newspapers and through television channels on three occasions during the campaign period.”

The political party to which the candidate with criminal antecedents belongs is also required to publish such information about the candidate, both on its website and also in newspapers and television channel on three occasions, CEC Sunil Arora said.

The EC has integrated use of smart technology in different election processes such as the cVIGIL app, which helps people record any violations of poll norms on their Android Smartphones and report them to the EC.

“All that one has to do is to simply click a picture or to take a video and briefly describe the activity before uploading it on the cVIGIL mobile application. If the complainant desires to remain anonymous he has the option to do so,” said Arora.

The complaints will be allocated to the EC’s flying squads for investigation, and the status of the cVIGIL complaint will be shared with the complainant in less than two hours, he added.

Another app, Samadhan, has been made available during both the election and non-election period to help lodge a grievance. “There is an escalation matrix configured into the system and if within a timeframe the matter is not addressed by the local election officer, it gets escalated to the next levels,” said the poll panel chief.

The EC also asked political parties to use only eco-friendly materials for its campaign, and said the long-term impact on the environment of plastic, polythene etc., and other such substances should be kept in mind.

The DEOs (District Electoral Officer) and ROs (Returning Officer) are directed to emphasise the importance of environment protection and preservation during the meetings with the political parties and contesting candidates, the CEC said.