Chandigarh: In view of the forthcoming General Elections to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha-2027, the First Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will commence in all districts of Punjab from November 12, 2026.
Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Anindita Mitra, IAS, informed that the First Level Checking of EVMs and VVPATs is an essential process prescribed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that only fully functional and election-ready machines are used during the elections.
She said as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, First Level Checking of EVMs and VVPATs to be used in every General Election and Bye-Election is conducted under the supervision of the District Election Officer by authorised engineers of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
The process will be conducted in accordance with the extant instructions of the Election Commission of India. All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth, transparent and systematic conduct of the FLC process.
The CEO further said that to ensure complete transparency and accountability throughout the process Live webcasting of the entire FLC process will be conducted at all 23 locations .Two display screens (One at FLC site and the other at respective DC offices) have been installed at each district headquarters so that representatives can closely observe the proceedings.
