New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) On Dec 4, voters in the New Delhi assembly constituency will get to see — although only briefly — a paper slip with the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate they vote for.
The Election Commission Sunday announced the Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be introduced for the first time in Delhi in the coming election.
“VVPAT system has been used in the Nagaland assembly polls, and will be used in Delhi for the first time to bring more transparency in the voting system,” Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla told the media.
“As the initiative is new to Delhiites, it will be tried only in the New Delhi constituency,” he said.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal are among the key candidates in New Delhi constituency.
Shukla said a printer is attached to the ballot unit of the voting machine and kept along with the ballot unit inside the voting compartment.
“When the voter casts his vote by pressing the button against the name and symbol of the candidate, the printer generates a paper slip containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate for whom the vote has been cast,” he said.
Shukla said the paper slip will remain visible to the voter for seven seconds through a window covered by the glass on the printer.
Thereafter, it will get automatically knifed out and will fall in the sealed box permanently attached below the printer.
“This will enable the voters to verify and satisfy themselves that the vote cast by them for the candidate of their choice has been been recorded correctly,” Shukla said.
As the initiative is new, dummy polling stations are being erected in the five polling locations of New Delhi constituency to exhibit the procedure for casting votes with the new VVPAT system, Shukla told IANS.
There are 124,032 voters in New Delhi constituency.