Setback for Opposition as EC refuses to verify VVPAT slips before counting

The Election Commission on Wednesday rejected the demand of 22 political parties to count paper trail machine slips before the counting of votes polled in electronic voting machines (EVMs), saying it has not been found "feasible".

A day after a delegation met the EC, it issued a statement, saying after two rounds of in-depth discussions Wednesday and Thursday, "it has neither been found possible nor feasible to accede to this demand" in the overall context and especially in view of a Supreme Court judgment of April 8 which had directed the poll panel that the random selection of VVPATs will be subject to the process of slip verification as per the EVM guideline in force.