Ex-Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat Explains Discourse Around VVPATs & EVMs

The SC on 1 April issued a notice to the ECI on a petition seeking tallying of all VVPAT slips to verify EVM votes.

Former CEC OP Rawat.

(Photo: Chetan Bhakuni/The Quint)

The Supreme Court on 1 April issued a notice to the ECI on a petition seeking the tallying of all VVPAT (voter-verified paper audit trail) slips to verify votes cast through EVMs (electronic voting machine).

The petition, filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), has demands:

• Cross-verification of EVM and VVPAT data

• Voters should be allowed to physically drop VVPAT slips into the ballot box

• The VVPAT machine should have transparent glass and the light should glow for more than 7 seconds

In an interview, former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat spoke to The Quint about VVPATs, EVMs, and the demands of the petition.