• First-Level Checking of voting machines begins
• New machines brought to Mysuru as High Court hears plea challenging Varuna Assembly result  

Mysore/Mysuru: The First-Level Checking (FLC) of the 1,500 new Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines that were brought to the city recently from Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad, began this morning at the EVM Warehouse near the Office of the Deputy Commissioner at Siddarthanagar.

The machines will be used in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections along with the machines that have already been used in the last Assembly elections except the Varuna Constituency the result of which has reached the High Court of Karnataka.

Over 50 engineers from the ECIL and Bharath Electronics Limited in Bengaluru have come to Mysuru and the FLC is being carried out in two halls at the warehouse. While the process in one hall is supervised by MUDA Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar, who is also the Nodal Officer for EVMs and VVPATs, the other hall is monitored by Additional Deputy Commissioner  Kavitha Rajaram.

FLC is a critical process in the preparation and verification of the EVMs and VVPATs before their deployment in elections. FLC ensures that the EVMs and VVPATs are functioning correctly, accurately recording votes, and providing a transparent and trustworthy voting process.

Engineers are verifying and certifying that the EVMs and VVPATs are free from any defects, manipulations or malfunctions and are capable of recording votes accurately. During FLC, the EVMs and VVPATs are physically examined to ensure they are in proper working condition.

Once the First-Level Checking is completed and the machines are found to be functioning correctly, they are certified as ‘fit for use’ by the Election Commission or the authorised officials. They are categorised and numbered till the next level of checking, randomisation and the insertion of candidate details.

Stringent security measures

Throughout the FLC process, stringent security measures are in place to prevent any tampering or unauthorised access to the EVMs and VVPATs. Only authorised personnel are allowed to handle the machines and the entry is restricted to the personnel. Before entering the FLC halls, the staff have to deposit their phones.

Sources said that the ECIL and BEL Engineers will complete the process by Aug. 15 and the entire process is being videographed in addition to the deployment of surveillance cameras inside the halls. 9 am to 4 pm has been fixed as the FLC time.

Varuna row

The new EVMs and VVPATs have been brought to Mysuru due to the pending Election Petition (No. 13/2023) in the Karnataka High Court. The petition was filed to set aside the 2023 election of CM Siddharamaiah from Varuna for allegedly indulging in electoral malpractices. The petition filed by K.M. Shankara, a voter from Varuna, will be heard by the High Court on Sept. 1 by Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav.

The petitioner prayed the Court to set aside Siddharamaiah’s election victory as the CM was allegedly involved in corrupt practices through the implementation of five guarantee schemes to grab power, in violations of various Sections of Representation of People Act.