Gangtok District Election Office Unseals Reserved EVMs and VVPATs

The Gangtok District Election Office conducted the unsealing of a warehouse containing reserved Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) on April 24, witnessed by representatives of various political parties.

The unsealing process occurred at the District Administration Centre, with officials including Mr Rohan Agawane and Mr Milan Rai, Additional District Collectors, along with Mr Karma Wangyal Bhutia and Ms Dhanmaya Rasaily from the Election Department.

The unsealed EVMs and VVPATs were categorized into Reserved and Rejected (damaged) EVMs. Reserved EVMs were not used in the 2024 General Elections in Gangtok district, while rejected EVMs malfunctioned during the First Level Checking and Commissioning process.

Following the tallying process, a final report on each reserved and rejected EVM will be sent to political parties to uphold the integrity of the electoral process. The machines were resealed in the presence of party representatives after the tallying process concluded.