NEW DELHI: In addition to the mock polls conducted before the start of voting, the Election Commission of India has implemented a new policy as part of its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to allow the same to check the integrity of EVMs within 45 days after the results are announced, sources said on Monday.The verification would be limited to 20 ballot units, 10 control units, and 10 VVPATs per request, and regular diagnostic checks will cost Rs 23,600 per Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) set, which would go up to Rs 47,200 if a mock poll is included, they said, adding that the amount is reduced from Rs 40,000 during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls for normal diagnostic check.However, if the EVM is found to be tampered with, the applicant candidate would get a refund, the sources said, adding that the facility would be available only to the first two losing candidates, in line with Supreme Court orders dated May 9 this year.The new protocol will first be applied to over 100 C&V applications from the fiercely contested 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, filed mainly by INDIA bloc candidates.The new SOPs formulated have been circulated to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), outlining a step-by-step process, the sources said.“Once the status of pending election petitions is confirmed and necessary High Court permissions are obtained, CEOs will share a summary with EVM manufacturers ECIL and BEL. The manufacturers must respond within two weeks with a district-wise C&V schedule, names of authorised engineers, and a designated district in-charge engineer, who will sign off on the certificate of authenticity of the EVM’s burnt memory and microcontroller,” a source said. If any unit fails the C&V process, a detailed report from the engineer and the district election officer must be submitted to the Commission, and the faulty unit stored separately, they said.Verification limited to 20 ballot units, 10 VVPATsAccording to the new SOP, the verification would be limited to 20 ballot units, 10 control units, and 10 VVPATs per request, and regular diagnostic checks will cost Rs 23,600 per Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) set, which would go up to Rs 47,200 if a mock poll is included, said sources.
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