First-level checks of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will begin across Punjab on November 12 ahead of the Assembly elections due early next year, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said on Tuesday that the checks were required by the Election Commission of India to ensure that only fully functional and election-ready machines were used.Under the Election Commission's guidelines, authorised engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited will check the EVMs and VVPAT machines under the supervision of district election officers. Such checks are conducted before every general election and bye-election.Mitra said only the EVMs and VVPAT machines that cleared the checks would be used in the Assembly elections.

The procedure will be carried out according to the Election Commission's instructions. All necessary arrangements have been made for the smooth, transparent and systematic conduct of the process, according to PTI.

The checks will be supervised by the district election officers and monitored by the offices of the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer and the Election Commission.The entire process will be webcast live from all 23 locations to ensure transparency and accountability. Two display screens have been installed at each district headquarters — one at the checking site and another at the respective deputy commissioner's office — to allow representatives to closely observe the proceedings.

Dedicated screens have also been installed at the Chief Electoral Officer's headquarters for live monitoring. The Election Commission has appointed observers to supervise the exercise.Mitra urged all recognised political parties to authorise representatives to witness the checking of EVMs and VVPAT machines.

She said their presence would strengthen transparency, build confidence among stakeholders and help ensure that the process was conducted fairly and impartially under the Election Commission's guidelines.In summary, EVMs and VVPAT machines across Punjab will undergo first-level checks from November 12, with live monitoring, official supervision and participation by political party representatives ahead of the Assembly elections.- Ends