Opposition parties in Mizoram seek VVPAT in EVM machines

Aizawl, Oct 23: Four Opposition parties in

have urged the Election Commission to introduce Electronic Voting Machine equipped with Voters Verifiable Paper Audit (VVPAT) system during the Assembly

to be held here on December 4.

Some political parties in Mizoram had voiced their doubts about the EVMs

In a joint appeal sent to the Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath yesterday the Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People's Conference (MPC), Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) and BJP said people have the right to exercise franchise without doubts and fear of manipulations and the VVPAT would ensure transparency.

The VVPAT system enables a voter to see in print the vote cast by him. However, the paper slip of his vote is not handed over to him and is kept separately at the polling booth. The VVPAT was successfully experimented during the Assembly by-polls in Nagaland on September 4 last and found to be reliable, they said in a letter.

"There are still some developed countries which are continuing with the use of ballot papers due to its reliability and less chances of being tampered with," they said.

"Some political parties in Mizoram had voiced their doubts about the EVMs and expressed suspicion that they could be tampered with and manipulated," the letter said.

PTI