Gujarat political parties welcome use of VVPATs in assembly polls

The EC is on a visit to the state to review the preparedness ahead of the Gujarat assembly election due later this year.

All political parties have welcomed the introduction of VVPATs (Voter-verified paper audit trail) and they also emphasized the need to publicize its functioning ahead of assembly elections in the state, said the Election Commission (EC).

Achal Kumar Jyoti, Chief Election Commissioner, said the Commission has asked the State authorities to provide cashless facilities to all polling staff.

"License holders will have to deposit their licensed weapons with concerned SHO or police station and after the polling is overall licensed weapons shall be returned to the owners, said CEC.

The EC is on a visit to the state to review the preparedness ahead of the Gujarat assembly election due later this year.

The BJP demanded that the polls be held on after December, as the period between 5 and 14 December is considered auspicious for marriages.

The ruling party also sought a relaxation in the rules pertaining to polling agents and said the EC should provide a single-window system to the candidates so that they did not have to approach multiple officials.

It also said that arrangements should be made so that the items seized by the EC before the polls were returned on time.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) voiced a demand for a random count of the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips and that it be digitally established that the VVPAT machines were working properly.

(With agency inputs)