Central Desk: As the Election Commission gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections in five states, it has begun assessing poll preparedness, starting with Uttarakhand. The exercise comes amid ongoing protests by opposition parties over alleged irregularities in the SIR and their demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Commission plans to complete its visits to all five poll-bound states by December 15, paving the way for the announcement of election dates.
According to jagran.com, the Election Commission has stepped up preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. As part of the exercise, teams of officials are being sent to these states to assess election preparedness.
Uttarakhand is the first state to be visited by the Commission's team. The Election Commission plans to complete its visits to all five states by December 15. Accordingly, the Assembly election schedule for these states could be announced any time after that date.
According to official sources in the Commission, the assessment of election preparedness by officials in all five poll-bound states will be completed by November 15.
With the exception of Uttar Pradesh, visits to assess election preparedness in the remaining four states are expected to be completed in October. Teams of officials will visit Uttar Pradesh in the first or second week of November. Once these visits are completed, the Election Commission will undertake its own visits, led by the Chief Election Commissioner and accompanied by the two Election Commissioners. According to the schedule, these visits are also expected to be completed by December 15.
The election dates could therefore be announced any time after December 15. The announcement of election schedules generally follows the Commission's visits to the poll-bound states. In 2022, elections in all five states were announced on January 8.
Inspection of EVMs
The Election Commission has also begun the first-level checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to be used in the Assembly elections in all five states.
During this process, authorised engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited carry out technical checks of the machines under the supervision of the District Election Officer and in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties. The exercise helps determine which machines are in proper working condition and suitable for use in the elections.
Before the process begins, representatives of recognised political parties are informed so that they can be present during the exercise. Strict security arrangements are maintained throughout the process, and the proceedings are recorded using CCTV cameras.
During the inspection, engineers carefully examine every component of the machines, including the Control Unit, Ballot Unit and VVPAT. They verify that all equipment is genuine and functioning properly. Each machine is cleaned, and its old battery is replaced with a new, original battery. A mock poll is then conducted on each machine in the presence of political party representatives to verify that it is functioning properly.