First Randomisation of EVM-VVPATs Completed in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry Ahead of Assembly Elections.
New Delhi:
The Election Commission of India has successfully completed the first stage of randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The process was also carried out for bye-elections in several states, ensuring transparency and preparedness ahead of polling scheduled for April 9, 2026.
The election schedule for Legislative Assemblies in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, along with bye-elections in six states, was earlier announced on March 15, 2026.
According to the Commission, EVM allocation follows a two-stage randomisation process designed to ensure fairness and eliminate bias. In the first stage, machines are randomly distributed from district warehouses to Assembly constituencies. In the second stage, they are further randomised and assigned to individual polling stations.
The first randomisation process was conducted by District Election Officers (DEOs) using the EVM Management System (EMS), strictly in the presence of representatives from recognised national and state political parties. Only those EVMs and VVPATs that had successfully cleared the mandatory First Level Checking (FLC) were included in the process.
Following the completion of this stage, constituency-wise lists of the randomised EVMs and VVPATs have been shared with political party representatives at the respective district headquarters, reinforcing transparency in the electoral process.
The Commission further stated that the allocated machines will now be securely stored in designated Assembly strong rooms under the invigilation of political party representatives. After the finalisation of contesting candidates, updated lists containing details of both first and second-stage randomisation will also be shared with all candidates.
Additionally, the first randomisation has been completed for bye-elections in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura, marking a key step in the run-up to the elections.
The move is part of the Election Commission’s broader efforts to uphold transparency, accountability and credibility in the electoral process across the country.
