LS polls: Kapil Sibal issues checklist to verify "EVM tampered or not" during counting on June 4

New Delhi [India], May 26 : Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has issued a checklist for candidates and counting agents taking part in the Lok Sabha elections for their convenience to check whether the electronic voting machine has been tampered with or not.
Addressing a press conference, Sibal briefed about certain parameters that counting agents and political parties should keep in mind.
"You all know that the voting results will be out on the June 4. I want to make the public and the political parties aware of what you should do when the machines (EVMs) open. So I have made a chart for all the parties and all the counting agents. In this chart, the CU (control unit) number, BU (ballot unit) number and VVPAT ID will be present. The third column is very important. 4th June 2024 is written in the third column and the time when the machine will be opened is written below. If there is any difference in this time then you will know that the machine has already been opened somewhere," Sibal said.
He further stated that a serial number of the control unit will also come in written format and counting agents and political parties will have to match it.
"When the total poll vote comes, then look at it carefully so that when there are more votes in the counting, the problem may come again. Keep in mind 2 things, do not press the result button until the verification is done in the above column and if there is a difference between that timing and the timing of the result then there is something wrong. I would like that all political parties and all the candidates who are sitting there should carefully check the first column and get it opened only then," he said.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to pass any direction on a plea seeking the uploading of Form 17C data on the Election Commission of India website and publication of booth-wise voter turnout data.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Dutta and Satish Chandra Sharma refused to grant any interim relief to petitioners and said it could not interrupt the polls.The bench said that of the seven-phase elections, five phases are over, and the sixth phase is scheduled for Saturday.
The "hands-off" approach is needed in the middle of the election process, observed the apex court while adjourning the application.
Six phases of polls have been completed. The last phase of polling will be held on June 1. The counting of votes for Lok Sabha polls will be conducted on June 4.