AGARTALA, Nov 21 (TIWN): People across the state are now eyeing for 2018’s Assembly Election and its results as not even 3 months left for the political parties for the election-preparation. Tripura will first time use voters Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in this upcoming election and thus finally the mass-level training has begun across the state led by SDMs of various subdivisions. Since decades, no Assembly Election of Tripura saw such competitions just like the 2018’s election as opposition BJP is give a tough challenge to the 25 years of Communist regime in the upcoming election.

However, increasing BJP’s popularity across the nation bound oppositions to accuse election commissioner for unfair means of voting and EVM became a threat to the state's ruling anti-BJP parties and many of them demanded ballot paper voting systems expressing doubts on the EVMs. 

Thus to clear the doubts election commissioner added both EVM and ballot papers together and thus the VVPAT begins.  At Agartala from Bodhjung Nagar Chowmuhani the training began amidst mass gathering, people with much enthusiasm engaged in the open training programme. 

Electronic Voting Machines with paper trail (VVPAT) Voter or Verifiable Paper Record (VPR) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system. 

A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results.It contains name of the candidate (for whom vote has been casted) and symbol of the party/ individual candidate.

The launching of VVPAT was initiated by the Election Commission when all Anti-BJP parties demanded ballot paper voting systems to be re-launched in India and CPI-M also demanded the same even though ballot papers are the most unreliable system of voting. EC said on the background of the launching of VVPAT that it's very easy to blame the EVMs and so now both EVM and ballot papers to be felicitate the voters. But this may turn heavy upon CPI-M as in the last election also CPI-M's won many seats were alleged with fake voters.

 It’s worthy to mention here that Arvind Kejriwal was the first to stress about EVM with a Hindi national daily’s story on the episode. The story mentioned how when Singh was inspecting the voting demonstration, the EVM was found to be dispensing slips only of the BJP.

The Congress also sought an appointment with the CEC and demanded that the by-elections in Madhya Pradesh be conducted using ballot papers, later Mayabati led challenge against EVM and now in Tripura EVM has become the chief concern of CPI-M ahead of Assembly Election. Now Akhilesh to other political parties have joined in EVM battle.

However, whereas CPI-M demanded ballot paper voting system and Sitaram Yechury demanded that the voter should receive a slip just like ATM after s/he casts votes.

But now, Electronic Voting Machines with paper trail (VVPAT) facility will be used in all the polling booths during the coming Assembly elections in Tripura.This will make the polling process transparent and fake voters to be detected, hence it's a good news for Tripura opposition BJP. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) or Verifiable Paper Record (VPR) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system. A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines   designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud  or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results.It contains name of the candidate (for whom vote has been casted) and symbol of the party/ individual candidate.

 Goa was the first state for Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system for Assembly polls and now Gujrat and Tripura."For voters, we will prepare a mock polling booth in a van and give demonstrations at public places and educational institutions," he added. 

On the other side, BJP also to launch a team to keep the election ragging free. On Nov. 2 Tripura BJP has challenged CPI-M's fake voter list, claiming 'Not a single fake-voter will be allowed to cast vote in this Assembly Election'. Assam Minister Himanta Bisawa Sarma said on in BJP Press meet, "We have understood if per booth 10 fake voters are created by CPI-M then 500 votes as per constituencies is very easy to create. In the last Assembly Election also 7 to 10 seats were won by CPI-M at the gap of mere 500 booths. This is intolerable". "BJP will fight back fake voters in the Assembly Election and for this we have launched Pristha-Promote campaigning. 47,000 cards will be distributed in the verifying procedure", said Sarma.

"There are 3000 polling booths in Tripura, but there are many pages in those booths, as per the count there will be 47000 pages and we have to work accordingly per Pages / Pristha, not by booths".

Earlier, Sunil Deodhar claimed at least 1 lakhs of voters who are living outside the state CPI-M Govt managed to cast fake votes in CPI-M vote banks.

CPI-M led Left Front won 50 seats in 2013 but it had to face tough fight from the opposition in 12 seats .In 2013 assembly poll CPI-M led Left Front secured around 52% of the total votes casted while the opposition Congress got around 48% votes . It means by margin of only 4% vote share difference CPI-M won with landslides victory of 50 seats in its tally.

However, whether VVPAT can detect fake voters fully it has not been ensured but the opposition BJP also will to track in their own way how many voters are voting through their 'Pristha Promukh' mission.