3 assembly constituencies in Puducherry to have VVPAT machines

Puducherry, Mar 4: Three of the 30 assembly constituencies in Puducherry have been selected by Election Commission on pilot basis for the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) during the May 16 Assembly polls.

Chief Electoral Officer of the Union Territory V Candavelou today said the constituencies selected for the pilot project are Uppalam, Orleanpeth and Karaikal (South).

The facility would enable voters to know whether the votes cast by them had gone to the candidate of their choice, he said, adding that 100 VVPAT machines would be installed in the three assembly segments.

The CEO said the UT has a total strength of 9,27,665 voters spread over Puducherry (having 23 segments), Karaikal (five) and Mahe and Yanam (having one constituency each).

The total number of women voters is 4,86,060, which exceeds their male counterparts, who stand at 4,41,531. Seventy four voters have been registered under the category third gender.

Candavelou said the drive for purification of electoral rolls launched from February 15 to 29 resulted in deletion of names of 9,291 voters who were either deceased or non residents.

The officer said the police had tentatively identified 144 pockets as vulnerable, which would be constantly monitored through periodic ground level checking.

PTI