Voters Can Verify Votes They Cast In Nandyal By-Poll

The Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Bhanwar Lal, today stated that arrangements had been made for the Nandyal by-election on August 20, and that the results would be announced on August 28.

At a press conference at the Secretariat, he said that the officials had made the necessary arrangements in all the 255 polling booths in the Nandyal Assembly constituency, and were pressing in central forces for security for the smooth conduct of the by-poll. Eight companies of Central Armed Paramilitary forces would be deployed for the bandobast from August 16 onwards, he said.

Bhanwar Lal said that for the first time in India, the Electronic Voting Machines would be attached to Vote Verified Paper Audit Trails (EVMs with VVPATs) at all the polling booths. This facility, he said, would enable the voter to know who he has voted for, as after his pressing the button, a slip would come out of the machine with the name of the candidate he has voted for and fall in a special container.

Regarding the charges by political parties of tampering of the EVMs, he said that a first-level check of the EVM & VVPATs had also been done during a meeting with all political parties. Steps had also been taken for live webcasting and videography at all the polling stations, he said.

Of the 15 candidates in the fray, one is from the Congress, and two are from the regional parties Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress Party. Six are from other registered parties, and the remaining six are independents.

There are 2,19,108 voters (1,07,978 male with 200 service electors and 1,11,068 female voters with 50 service voters), with 62 being of the third gender, he said.