Kolkata, Nov 20 || With West Bengal gearing up for next year’s crucial Assembly elections, training for checking electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units will begin on Friday.
Engineers from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) will conduct the sessions, which will be attended by EVM and warehouse officers from all districts of the state.
The four-member central team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is currently on a four-day visit to West Bengal to review the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), is also expected to attend the first day of the training session on Friday.
According to an official in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the requirement for EVMs and VVPATs in the 2026 Assembly polls will be significantly higher than in previous elections, owing to a nearly 17 per cent increase in polling booths compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly polls.