SHILLONG, July 17 � None of the existing MLAs will feel the threat of losing their seats even as candidates from all parties will be out on the electoral battlefield to woo voters as ballots will be cast in Cherrapunjee on July 26, reports PTI.
The whole polling exercise to be conducted in Sohra and Shella constituencies of Cherrapunjee would only be to test the efficacy of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system, a new technology which verifies the recording of votes in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The decision to have mock polls and test the technology was taken after the Election Commission�s meeting with all political parties in October last year and repeated allegations that EVMs are being tampered with to manipulate election results.
Under the new VVPAT system, an additional unit is attached to the EVM for providing feedback to the voters.
When a voter presses a button in favour of his chosen candidate, a ballot slip containing the candidate�s name, serial number, and poll symbol will be simultaneously printed by the VVPAT system. This will enable the voter to immediately verify whether his vote has been recorded correctly or not.
The new technology has been developed by Bharat Electrical Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and will be tested in polling stations experiencing extreme weather conditions in five states across the country.
