COMMISSIONING OF EVMS AND VVPATS HELD

Panaji: April 01, 2026

Office of Returning Officer Ponda Assembly Constituency has Commissioned the EVMs and VVPATs to be used in Bye Election at Ponda Assembly Constituency.

After finalization of list of Contesting Candidates and Second Randomization of EVMs and VVPATs. EVMs and VVPATs are commissioned Polling Station wise including Reserve EVMs and VVPATs at the Returning Office/ Assistant Returning Officer level, such as installing Ballot Paper on Ballot Unit, Candidate Setting in Control, Unit and Symbol Loading in VVPAT, etc. Detailed instructions on commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs are mentioned in Manual on Electronic Voting Machine, which is available in ECI website: https://www.eci.gov.in/evm-vvpat.

All the Contesting Candidates were requested to remain present themselves or appoint their representatives to oversee the Commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs. Thus, Election Agents Shri. Haresh Naik of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shri. Uday Rane of the Indian National Congress were present for the Commissioning. They also conducted Mock Poll in randomly selected 5% of EVMs and VVPATs by casting 1000 votes and verified the electronic result with the VVPAT slips count. A total of 03 EVMs and VVPATs were used for Mock Poll and 03 number of VVPAT slips were counted and matched with the CU count.

After completion of Commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs, these machines were shifted to the Strong Room, as per the storage and security protocol prescribed by the Election Commission of India. The Strong Room will be opened in the presence of the contesting candidates/their representatives under videography on dispersal day.

DI/INF/AXP/SAG/SF/SM/2026/1370