Punjab News: The Election Commission has intensified its preparations for the Assembly elections 2027 in Punjab. Before the elections, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be checked in all the districts of the state. This process will start from 12 November 2026. Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab Anindita Mitra has given this information. The main objective of this investigation is to ensure that only completely correct and working machines are used in the upcoming assembly elections.

What is first level checking of EVM and VVPAT?

According to the rules of the Election Commission, it is necessary to conduct First Level Checking (FLC) of EVM and VVPAT machines before every general election and by-election. In this process, the technical condition of the machines and their proper functioning is checked. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said that as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, this investigation will be done by authorized engineers of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the supervision of District Election Officers.

Only those machines which are found completely correct during the investigation will be used in the assembly elections 2027. Machines found to have any technical problem will not be used for elections. This entire process will be completed as per the rules and guidelines prescribed by the Election Commission.

Live webcasting will happen at all 23 places

The Election Commission has made special arrangements to maintain transparency in the testing of EVMs and VVPATs. The entire testing process will be live webcasted at all the 23 designated locations in Punjab. This means that the investigation proceedings can be seen live.

Apart from this, two display screens have been installed at each district headquarters. One of these screens has been installed at the testing center and the other in the concerned Deputy Commissioner (DC) office. Through these, representatives of political parties will be able to see the entire process of investigation. Special screens have also been installed in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer Punjab, from where the entire process will be monitored. Along with this, the Election Commission of India has also appointed observers for monitoring.

Appeal made to representatives of political parties

Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra has appealed to all recognized political parties to authorize their representatives to be present during the checking of EVMs and VVPATs. He said the presence of representatives of political parties would increase transparency in the process and strengthen the confidence of all concerned.

Officers already given training

Earlier, senior officials of the Election Commission and experts of Bharat Electronics Limited had organized a workshop on testing of EVM and VVPAT. In this, the technical and administrative process of investigation was explained to the officers and employees. Besides, practical training and their doubts were also resolved.

In this way, the Election Commission has started preparations before the Assembly elections 2027 in Punjab. Preparations are being made to make the election process fair, orderly and transparent through checking of EVMs and VVPAT, monitoring of officials, live webcasting and participation of political parties.