HYDERABAD: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ruled out the use of ballot papers in the conduct of the Jubilee Hills bypoll, stating that no matter how many candidates are in the fray, the M3 version Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used for polling in the November 11 election.
According to poll officials, the M3 EVMs can accommodate up to 384 candidates by connecting up to 24 balloting units (BUs) to the Control Unit (CU). “M3 EVMs are the third generation EVMs of the ECI, which also includes the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). While the M2 EVMs can connect only four ballot units to the control unit, the M3 versions can connect as many as 24 BUs. With each BU capable of handling 16 candidates, including NOTA, the feature enables a possibility of handling 384 candidates per constituency using the M3 EVMs,” they said.
The authorities also said that the M3 EVMs, along with VVPAT units, were used in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha segment during the 2019 General Elections, where 185 candidates contested from the constituency. “The M3 model is a much improved version that has a factory reset mode and is equipped with high security features of the highest level to prevent any type of manipulation. The M3 EVM has a unique feature called Unauthorised Access Detection Module (UADM), which is embedded in the system.
In case of any unauthorised attempt to access the microcontroller or the memory of the EVMs, the UADM automatically puts the machine in the factory mode. Subsequently, the machine could be set right only in the factories. This adds to the tamper-proof nature of the EVMs,” the officials said.
The M3 version includes advanced security features such as a “tamper detection” system. Any attempt to open the machine during a live election would render it inoperative.
The M3 EVMs are used in conjunction with VVPAT units, which allow voters to verify that their vote was recorded correctly. A paper slip is generated for the voter to see, which then drops into a sealed box. Like previous models, the M3 EVMs are non-networked and do not require an external power supply, running on their own power-packs, they added.
