Election Commission Revises Protocol for Managing EVM Units Following Supreme Court Order

The Election Commission has recently made changes to the protocol for handling and storing Symbol Loading Units (SLUs) in response to a directive from the Supreme Court. It was ordered that the machines should be sealed and stored in a container in a strongroom, alongside the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for at least 45 days following the declaration of election results. An EVM consists of three components: the ballot unit, control unit, and VVPAT.

The SLU is used to upload the names and symbols of candidates contesting for a particular seat onto VVPAT or paper trail machines. Following the Supreme Court’s directive, the poll authority mandated that all state chief electoral officers create the necessary infrastructure and provisions to implement the new protocols for handling and storing the SLUs. The Election Commission stated, “As mandated by the Supreme Court, the revised protocols are applicable in all cases of completion of the symbol loading process in the VVPATs undertaken on or after May 1, 2024.”

Prior to the Supreme Court order, the SLUs were handed over to local poll officials. In the recent seven-phase polls, 102 constituencies went to poll during the first phase and 89 seats voted on April 26, with the next phase scheduled for May 7. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.