EVM Machines To Undergo Verification In Pune For Assembly Elections 2024; Officials Clarify On VVVPAT Recount Claims
EVM Machines To Undergo Verification In Pune For Assembly Elections 2024; Officials Clarify On VVVPAT Recount Claims
Pune, July 23, 2025: As per the directives of the Election Commission of India (ECI), candidates from the Assembly Elections 2024 were allowed to apply for verification and inspection of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), burnt memory units, and controllers within seven days of the declaration of results.
In Pune district, candidates from 11 out of the 21 Assembly constituencies had submitted requests for EVM inspection. Of these, five candidates later withdrew their applications. For the remaining six candidates, election petitions have been filed in four constituencies. The inspection for the two other constituencies will be conducted between July 25 and August 2, 2025, according to Pune’s Deputy District Election Officer.
On July 21, 2025, Prashant Jagtap, a candidate from the 213-Hadapsar Assembly Constituency, posted a video on social media stating that votes recorded in EVMs from 27 polling stations in Hadapsar would be counted again, along with a recount of VVPAT slips during the scheduled inspection period.
However, the district election officials have clarified that Jagtap’s claims do not align with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the Election Commission. Deputy Collector and Deputy District Election Officer, Pune, Minal Kalskar, stated in an official press release that during the EVM inspection, only the results stored in the control units will be displayed by pressing the result button in front of the candidates and their representatives. There will not be any recounting of VVPAT slips.
The list of EVMs to be inspected has already been provided by the respective candidates to the election office. These machines will be taken out from the secure storage in the presence of the candidates and shown as per ECI protocols.
Authorities urged citizens and candidates to rely on official communications to avoid misinformation regarding the EVM verification process.
