The first phase of randomization of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the upcoming Parliamentary Elections 2024 was conducted under the supervision of Returning Officer for Udhampur Parliamentary Constituency, Dr. Rakesh Minhas (DC Kathua). The event took place in the presence of senior officials and representatives from various political parties.
The randomization process focused on allocating a total of 1123 Ballot Units, 997 Control Units, and 1029 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units for all six assembly segments of the Kathua district like 63-Bani, 64-Billawar, 65-Basohli, 66-Jasrota, 67-Kathua (SC) and 68-Hiranagar.
Dr. Rakesh Minhas, on the occasion highlighted that the primary objective of the randomization process is to ensure transparent, free and fair elections, devoid of any human intervention. The randomization was carried out using dedicated software designed for this purpose.
Before the randomization took place, the Returning Officer briefed political representatives about the process, reassuring them of comprehensive arrangements in place to guarantee fair polls. Subsequent randomization phases will determine the specific allocation of EVMs to polling stations in the upcoming phases.
The list of all EVM’s post randomization were handed over to all political parties present in the randomization. Among others, Nodal Officer EVM Nagesh Singh and DIO NIC Sideshwar Bhagat were also present.