Guwahati: The Election Commission of India has initiated the crucial commissioning process for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) ahead of the Assam Legislative Assembly elections. The exercise will commence on March 31, 2026, across all 126 constituencies in the state.
Commissioning will take place at designated premises notified by the respective District Election Officers. The process will be supervised by engineers and technical staff from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), strictly following guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
To ensure complete transparency, the commissioning will be conducted in the presence of contesting candidates or their authorised representatives. Symbol loading in Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units will be carried out using Symbol Loading Units (SLUs), with candidates or their agents allowed to verify the symbols.
A total of 41,353 Ballot Units (BUs), 45,572 Control Units (CUs), and 44,830 VVPAT units have been earmarked for actual deployment. In addition, a substantial reserve stock has been prepared, including 9,863 BUs, 14,082 CUs, and 13,340 VVPAT units.
As per ECI norms, candidates or their representatives may randomly select up to 5 per cent of the EVMs and VVPATs for mock poll verification to further strengthen trust in the electoral machinery.
This will be the first Assam Assembly election conducted after the recent delimitation exercise. Polling is scheduled for a single phase on April 9, 2026, with vote counting set for May 4, 2026.
The timely commissioning of EVMs is a vital pre-poll activity aimed at ensuring smooth, secure, and transparent voting on election day. Election officials have appealed to all political parties and candidates to actively participate in the process for greater credibility and confidence in the electoral system.
Tags: EVM Commissioning Assam, Assam Assembly Elections 2026, Ballot Units Assam, VVPAT Symbol Loading, Election Commission Assam, EVM Preparation 2026, April 9 Polling, Post-Delimitation Election, ECIL Engineers, Mock Poll Verification
Hashtags: #AssamElections2026 #EVMCommissioning #AssamPolls #EVMVVPAT #ElectionCommission #April9Polling #AssamAssembly #NortheastElections #IndianElections #TransparentPolling
