NEW DELHI: Complying with a
Supreme Court
order, Election Commission has directed all state chief electoral officers (
CEOs
) to follow the new
protocols
on handling and storing ‘
symbol loading units
’ (SLUs). SC had ordered the sealing of machines, securing them in containers, and storing them in
strongrooms
along with electronic voting machines (
EVMs
) for at least 45 days after declaration of election results.
In an order, EC had stated that the “revised protocols are applicable in all cases of completion of the symbol loading process in the VVPATs undertaken on or after May 1, 2024”.
The EVM comprises three components — ballot unit, control unit and VVPAT. SLU is used to upload the name and symbol of candidates contesting a seat on
VVPAT
or paper trail machines. Till now, EVMs and VVPAT slips were stored for 45 days post-results.
