6 lakh employees training starts to handle 96K VVPAT in Maharashtra polls

As many as 96,000 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be used during polling in all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra next month. The process of training 6 lakh employees to handle these machines has started, an official release said Tuesday.

These employees will be provided training at three different levels, it said. VVPAT is an independent printer system attached with electronic voting machines (EVMs) that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.

Information regarding vote cast to a particular candidate by the voter is available after pressing a button on the VVPAT machine. A receipt will be generated in seven seconds after a vote is cast. The receipt will carry the election symbol, name and the serial number of the voter in the list. With this receipt, the voter can verify his vote cast.

The technology will be used for the first time in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "Training for 6 lakh employees going to polling stations will be arranged soon," the release said.

A total of 1.35 lakh VVPAT machines will be made available for Maharashtra. Of these, 96,000 will be used at polling centres, it said. The additional VVPAT machines will be put under the custody of zonal officers, the release stated. Maharashtra, which has the second highest number of Lok Sabha seats, will vote in four phases between April 11 and 29.

(With inputs from agencies.)