Ahead of state assembly polls, mock voting sessions to be conducted by Telangana Chief Electoral Officer

HYDERABAD: The Chief Electoral Officer will conduct mock polling sessions to create awareness among the public on right ways to vote using the electronic voting machine. As many as 10 mobile vans have been allocated to each constituency to reach out to the public and educated them also on the VVPATs, which help voters verify if their votes were registered correctly.  

Each mobile van will have an EVM with a ballot unit, control unit and one VVPAT.

“The vans will be sent to every nook and corner of the State,” said Rajat Kumar, the Chief Electoral Officer.

Kumar inaugurated the State Awareness Centre on EVMs and VVPATs at the Rangareddy District Collectorate on Monday. 

He said the idea behind the vans was to clear doubts and apprehensions on the voting process.

“The third generation EVMs that are currently in use have many modern technologies and security features,” Rajat Kumar said, dismissing possibilities of the machines, made by ECIL and BEL, being tampered with.  

Rajat Kumar also said that required EVMs and VVPATs have reached the State but about 9 to 10 per cent of them have been rejected because they were found to be malfunctioning. 

They are currently being replaced. He added that generally the rejection rate is about 30 per cent but this time it’s much lower at 10 per cent.

The first level checking of the machines is about 85 per cent complete, the CEO said. The first level is done in the presence of representatives of political parties. The first level would be fully completed by October 4.