The Election Commission of India announced the completion of the second randomization of EVMs for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry, as well as for bye-elections in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, and Tripura. The list of randomly assigned EVMs and VVPATs will be shared with all candidates who were present during the process.
EVMs are distributed to their designated polling stations using a two-stage randomization process within the EVM Management System. Initially, EVMs are allocated randomly from district-level warehouses to the Assembly Constituencies (ACs). Subsequently, in the second stage, EVMs are further randomly assigned from the AC level to the polling station level.
The Election Commission of India also stated that a similar second randomization process for EVMs will be conducted for the upcoming General Elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, as well as for bye-elections in the remaining states, following the withdrawal of candidatures. A total of 1,955 candidates are contesting in the upcoming elections and by-elections scheduled for April 9, with 250 candidates withdrawing their nominations post-filing.
In the upcoming elections, Assam has 722 candidates vying for 126 Assembly seats, Kerala has 890 candidates contesting for 140 seats, and Puducherry has 294 candidates competing for its 30 seats. Additionally, in the bye-elections, Goa has three candidates for one seat, Karnataka has 34 candidates for two seats, while Nagaland and Tripura each have six candidates contesting for one seat.
