Latest news with #VVPAT
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Pune district election officer orders recount of votes in Hadapsar assembly seat
Pune, Jul 21 (PTI) The Pune district election officer has ordered a recount of votes polled in the Hadapsar assembly constituency in the November 2024 Maharashtra elections, months after one of the losing candidates alleged irregularities in the counting process. The recounting of votes will take place at Bhosari from July 25 to August 2, said the district election officer in a release on Monday without providing further details. In November 2024, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate from Hadapsar in Pune district, Prashant Jagtap, had demanded a recount of votes in electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) paper slips in the constituency after raising objections over the counting process and alleging manipulation of EVMs. In Hadapsar, the main contest was between the rival factions of the NCP and Jagtap narrowly lost the election by 7,122 votes. Chetan Tupe of the ruling NCP was declared elected from the seat with 1,34,810 votes, while rival NCP (SP)'s Jagtap received 1,27,688 votes. Objections were raised by losing candidates in several assembly constituencies in the state over the counting process after the assembly elections and Hadapsar was one of them. The Election Commission granted permission for a recount of 27 EVMs and VVPAT machines from the Hadapsar assembly constituency. However, the instructions given for this recount were to erase the actual voting data from the machines and conduct a mock poll for the recount. Jagtap, along with others, challenged this decision of the EC in the Supreme Court. The Pune district collector, who acted as election officer during the polls, has now ordered a recount of votes in Hadapsar. Meanwhile, Jagtap expressed confidence the 'vote tampering" that occurred in the Hadapsar constituency eight months ago will be exposed after recounting. PTI COR SPK RSY view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 23:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
YSRCP demands probe into EVM functioning, calls for return to ballot paper voting across India
A YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) delegation led by Parliamentary Party leader Y. V. Subba Reddy, along with MPs P.V. Mithun Reddy and Bellana Chandrasekhar, met the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Delhi on Thursday (July 03) to express concerns over the conduct of the 2024 General Elections in Andhra Pradesh. The YSRCP leaders raised serious doubts about the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), citing technical anomalies, mismatches in VVPAT slips, and a suspicious last-hour spike in voter turnout. In Andhra Pradesh, the polling percentage increased in many constituencies after 6 p.m. Out of around 4 crore votes across the State, approximately 51 lakh votes were cast in the last hour alone, which raises several suspicions. By the end of polling, the batteries were charged to 80%. However, by the time of counting, 40 days later, we observed that the charge had increased to nearly 98%. 'We are also demanding an investigation into this matter,' they said, adding: 'We are demanding an investigation into this. However, the Election Commission officials firmly stated that comparing VVPATs is not possible.' The delegation demanded a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh, similar to Bihar, and sought a shift back to ballot paper voting, citing its continued use in countries like the U.S., Germany, and others. They argued that the credibility of India's electoral process can only be restored through transparent, manual voting. Despite assurances from the ECI to examine some of the data, the YSRCP maintains that future elections must be held through ballot paper to ensure fairness and public trust.
India.com
27-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Voting by mobile phones during Bihar assembly polls? Election Commission shares details
(Representational Image) New Delhi: A new change is going to happen regarding voting before the Bihar assembly elections. Bihar is going to become the first state in the country where voting can be done through phone. Bihar State Election Commissioner Deepak Prasad gave this information on Friday, June 27. His comment came before the voting to be held on Saturday for six municipal councils of Patna, Rohtas and East Champaran. However, it is not clear at the moment whether voting will be done through phone in the upcoming assembly elections or not. Who can e-vote? Giving more information about this, Bihar Election Commissioner Deepak Prasad said that this facility will be available to those people who are not able to go to the polling station and cast their vote. He said that to vote online, an app should be installed in the phone of the voters. Senior citizens, Divyang, pregnant women and voters living in other states can take advantage of this facility. Prasad said, 'To avail this facility, voters will have to install the E-SECBHR app. After this, it will have to be linked to the number added in the voter list. This app will currently work only on Android phones. This app has been developed by the Center for Development of Advanced Computing, while there is another app which has been developed by the Bihar Election Commission.' How will security be arranged? The biggest fear about e-voting is the possibility of tampering with it. In such a situation, while answering this question, the Election Commission said that many efforts have been made to keep the voting process smooth, fair and transparent. For example, only two registered voters will be allowed to log in using one mobile number. Apart from this, each lot will be checked and verified using the voter ID card. Apart from this, voters who do not have a mobile phone can also cast e-vote on the website of Bihar Election Commission. Prasad said, 'About 10 thousand voters have already registered in the e-voting system to participate in our scheme and cast e-votes. Apart from this, we hope that about 50 thousand more voters will vote online instead of going to the polling booths. We have taken full care of digital security measures in this. This system will include features like blockchain technology, face matching and scanning to ensure that it cannot be tampered with. Apart from this, there will also be an audit trail like the VVPAT machine, which will enable us to maintain even more transparency.'
Mint
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
What is mobile-based e-voting that Bihar has adopted first in India for municipal elections?
In a first for India, Bihar is set to implement Android mobile-based e-voting on June 28 for municipal by-elections for deputy chief councillor and ward councillor posts in Buxar Nagar Parishad. The entire e-voting process as part of the pilot initiative will be carried out using two mobile applications: 'e-Voting SECBHR", developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and another app created by the Bihar State Election Commission. The e-voting system consists of an audit trail similar to the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system used in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), while the Face Recognition System (FRS), Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for vote counting, and digital locks for EVM strongrooms are also being utilised in parallel to enhance the polling process. The system comprises features like a blockchain platform. While speaking to Akashvani News a few days ago, State Election Commissioner Deepak Prasad said 10,000 electorates have registered for e-voting and 50,000 electorates will be able to exercise their right to vote via e-voting without visiting polling booths. He pointed out that strong digital security measures are in place and migrant labourers, migrant voters, the elderly, senior citizens, divyang voters, pregnant women, and seriously ill electorates will be able to exercise their votes using this process. The state election commissioner said that only the European country of Estonia has executed the e-voting process. The purpose to bring this process in effect is mainly for voters who go through challenges in reaching polling booths. It is likely to boost voter participation by making voting more accessible and convenient. Registration for e-voting was open until June 22, 2025. According to a Times of India report, DM Vidya Nand Singh said all preparations have been made for a transparent process. The administration has put up 136 polling stations. The e-voting window will remain open from 7 am to 1 pm on the polling day. The votes will be counted on June 30. 'The mobile application developed for this initiative ensures both confidentiality and security. Votes cast electronically will be encrypted and locked immediately, and will only be decrypted during the official counting process to maintain the integrity and secrecy of the election,' TOI quoted Singh as saying.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Security, surveillance in place for counting of votes tomorrow
Ludhiana: District election officer Himanshu Jain Saturday said elaborate arrangements are in place for the smooth counting of votes polled for the Ludhiana West bypoll. At sharp 7 am on June 23, the counting of votes and postal ballots will commence in the presence of election observers, candidates, and their authorised representatives. An official statement said robust security measures, including the deployment of paramilitary forces at the counting centres to safeguard electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, have been implemented. The entire process is being continuously monitored through CCTV surveillance. The DEO emphasised that entry to the counting centres will be strictly regulated, allowing only candidates, their representatives, media personnel, and authorised individuals with valid identity cards issued by the ECI. Fourteen candidates are in the fray for the seat, including AAP's Sanjeev Arora, Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu, BJP's Jiwan Gupta, and SAD's advocate Parupkar Singh Ghuman. Chief electoral officer Sibin C Thursday said the voter turnout, as per data uploaded till 7pm on the voting day, was 51.33%. As part of a new initiative, polling data was uploaded on the ECINET app by the presiding officers at the respective polling stations. A total of 194 polling stations were set up. Besides the provision of assured minimum facilities at each polling station, for the first time, a mobile deposit facility was created at the entrance of all polling stations.
