New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Thursday clarified that no candidate requested verification of burnt memory or microcontroller of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) after the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections and bypolls in various states. The poll panel stated that no losing candidate from any of the 243 Assembly constituencies in Bihar or the eight seats that went to bypolls filed an application for such checks within the stipulated time.
The Commission issued revised Standard Operating Procedures on June 17 following Supreme Court directions. Under these rules, candidates who finished in the second and third positions were allowed to seek verification of EVM memory within seven days of the declaration of results. The EC confirmed that no such applications were submitted.
The panel highlighted several milestones achieved during the conduct of the Bihar elections. It noted that mandatory verification of VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations in each constituency—1,215 stations in total—showed no mismatch with EVM results. The EC also reported zero appeals relating to wrongful inclusion or exclusion of electors during the Special Intensive Revision across all 38 districts.
Additionally, no re-polls were sought by any of the 2,616 candidates or the 12 recognised political parties. The Commission further said index cards for all constituencies and bypoll seats were released for the first time within 72 hours of the final results. Statistical reports were also made publicly accessible within five days, marking a step toward greater transparency and easier access to election data for researchers, academic institutions and the public.
