Guwahati/Kolkata, March 26: Polling for the first phase of the assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal will be held tomorrow. Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs and Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be used for polling. If you are a fist-time voter or you don't remember how to cast vote, this article will be informative. Scroll down to know how to vote using EVM and VVPAT machine. Assam Assembly Elections 2021: Key Electoral Battles to Watch Out For in Phase 1 Polls.

The ballot paper voting system ceases to exist in India barring a few micro-level rural institutes. Elections to local bodies, assemblies and parliament are now held using EVMs and VVPAT machines. While EVM registers votes, the VVPAT is a separate system attached with the EVM. VVPAT machine allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021: Know How To Check Your Name in Voter List Online & Download Voter Slip for Phase 1 Polling.

Here's How to Cast Your Vote Using EVM

  1. If you are a registered voter, visit the polling station mentioned in the voter slip. The polling official will then check your name in the voter list and verify your identity.

  2. Once the official finds your name in voter list and gets satisfied with ID proof shown to him, your finger will then be inked and you will be sent to the EVM to cast vote.

  3. Prior to casting vote, you will get a slip. You will also require to sign on a register (Form 17A). You will have to submit the slip at another table and show your inked finger and then proceed to the EVM.

  4. The polling machine remains on the "press a button" mode and there are no papers involved. An EVM typically comprises a "Control Unit" and a "Ballot Unit" which are connected by a 5-metre wire.

  5. Beside every candidate’s name and party symbol on the machine, there’s a blue button. You need to press the button adjacent to the name of the candidate of your choice and the respective party’s symbol. The machine then records the vote.

  6. A light is flashed on the machine to indicate that the vote has been cast.

  7. After using the EVM, you can check the VVPAT machine placed on its side.

  8. A slip with the name and symbol of the candidate - whom the voter voted for - would appear below the transparent glass pane.

  9. The slip would be visible for a few seconds, and then it would be cut-off and stored in the box below.

Polling for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on March 27, April 1 and April 6. Polling to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases, on March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2021 03:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).