New Delhi, March 30: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday rejected the plea by 21 opposition parties seeking 50 per cent sample matching of the EVMs with the corresponding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) and told the Supreme Court that altering the existing system would delay the upcoming Lok Sabha elections results by about five days. The ECI asserted in the apex court that the existing system of random counting of the VVPAT slips from one polling booth per assembly segment is 'more suitable'.

"It is submitted that 50 per cent VVPAT slip verification in each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency or assembly constituency on an average shall enlarge the time required for counting to about five days," the ECI in its affidavit said. It asserted "the present system has been adopted after detailed study and consideration of all aspects, and bringing into play all safeguards and checks as have been felt necessary". It further added that to alter the system "when polls are imminent and polling is to commence from April 11, 2019… might not be feasible". VVPAT Full Form And Functions: All FAQs Answered on VVPAT Machines And How They Will Work With EVMs.

Seeking the dismissal of the plea by the 21 opposition parties, the poll panel said the writ petition filed by 21 opposition leaders, led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, "does not raise any ground or base for altering the existing system at this juncture and it is accordingly prayed that the present system as decided to be adopted for the imminent elections be continued with and the petition dismissed". The ECI added that it was open to any other suggestion that it might not have considered for the future elections as the conduct of free and fair elections was the ultimate goal.

"Any further increase in the sample size of verification will lead to very negligible gain in the confidence level, which currently is way above 99.9936 per cent," the poll panel said. The ECI filed its reply in response to a notice by the top court on the opposition parties plea for increasing the sample matching of the EVMs with the corresponding VVPATs. The top court had sought the EC's response on March 25 when it had slammed the poll panel for insisting that there was no need for increasing the sample matching of the EVMs with the corresponding VVPATs.

At present VVPATA is matched with the corresponding EVM at one polling booth in each of the assembly segments of the Lok Sabha constituency. (With PTI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2019 08:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).