The first phase of randomisation of voting machines for segments in Kottayam district was carried out at the District Collectorate here on Wednesday.
The randomisation process took place in the chamber of District Collector V. Vigneshwari, with representatives from various political parties in attendance. The process was carried out using the Central Election Commission’s web application EVM management system. In this initial phase, 20 percent of ballot units and control units, as well as 30 percent of VVPAT machines, were randomised.
The voting machines are currently stored in the EVM warehouse at Thiruvathukkal in Kottayam. These machines will be transferred to the strong rooms of the respective assembly constituencies on April 8 and 9.
The Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency includes Pala, Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, Ettumanur, Kottayam and Puthuppally assembly constituencies. The Changanasseri assembly constituency falls under the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, while the Kanjirappally and Poonjar assembly constituencies are part of the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency.
Following the polling, the voting machines from the Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency will be taken to the Government Guest House in Nattakom. The voting machines from the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency will be stored in the strong rooms of Bishop Moore College here, and those from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency will be kept in the strong rooms of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Chenneerkkara.
‘Know Your Candidate’
The Election Commission has released a mobile app called ‘Know Your Candidate’, which provides detailed information about all the candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections, including their criminal records. This app allows users to easily access information about any criminal cases filed against the candidates, including the current status and nature of the case. The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple Store.
