Patiala-In view of the forthcoming Punjab Assembly General Elections-2027, the First Level Checking (FLC) of M-3 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) manufactured by BEL and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines has commenced in Patiala district from November 12, 2026, at the District-Level EVM Warehouse, near Harpal Tiwana Auditorium, Nabha Road, Patiala, in accordance with the directions of the Election Commission of India.
Sharing this information, District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain said that the exercise would be carried out in accordance with the directions of Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra and the prescribed guidelines of the Election Commission of India.
He said that First Level Checking is a crucial stage in election preparedness, aimed at examining the technical functionality of EVMs and VVPAT machines and ensuring that only fully functional and technically sound machines are deployed during the elections.
The Deputy Commissioner further informed that the checking is being conducted by authorised engineers of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the supervision of the District Election Officer. He emphasised that transparency, security and accountability would be accorded the highest priority throughout the entire process.
He added that authorised representatives of political parties are also being provided an opportunity to witness the checking process. Appealing to the presidents of political parties, he urged them to nominate a party member to observe the process and submit the list of nominated representatives to the District Election Office.
Entry passes will be mandatory for members nominated by political parties to visit the District-Level EVM Warehouse during the FLC process. These passes can be obtained from the District Election Office, Patiala, by submitting an authorisation letter issued by the respective political party.