ECI Initiates Forensics on Kolathur EVMs Following Legal Challenge by Stalin

Technical Audit of Polling Hardware Begins

Election authorities have commenced a rigorous technical examination of the burnt memory and microcontrollers within Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) utilized at 14 polling stations in the Kolathur Assembly constituency. The procedure, orchestrated at a facility in Chintadripet, stems from a formal petition submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) by M.K. Stalin. Despite his loss to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate V.S. Babu by a margin of 8,795 votes, the DMK leader initiated the challenge citing concerns that expected ballot counts were missing from these specific locations.

Multi-Phase Verification Protocols

District Election Officer and Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran is overseeing the seven-day operation. According to Sameeran, the review process follows a strict two-tier protocol:

• Phase One: Engineers from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) supervise the authentication of ballot units, control units, and VVPAT systems. Initial checks comparing candidate-specific data in the burnt memory against official records have shown no immediate discrepancies.
• Phase Two: A mock poll simulation will take place, involving a load of between 500 and 1,400 votes to test hardware reliability under operational conditions.

Wider Scrutiny Across Tamil Nadu

The Kolathur investigation is not an isolated incident. The Election Commission confirmed that similar verification exercises are currently active in the Kancheepuram, Virudhunagar, and Sivaganga districts. Administrative rules permit candidates who finish in the top three positions to request a formal audit of up to 5% of a constituency's hardware. Senior advocate N.R. Elango is representing M.K. Stalin during the proceedings, while DMK MLA Sekar Babu was also present at the strongroom as the first phase of the technical audit launched this Wednesday.

Source: The Hindu — Home