Pune: The district administration has initiated the preliminary inspection of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in preparation for the upcoming state assembly elections, as directed by the Central Election Commission.

The inspection involves a total of 49,328 machines, including ballot units, control units, and VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail).

With the state assembly elections just a few months away, preparations are in full swing. Pune district has a total of 21 assembly constituencies.

The Central Election Commission has provided the essential EVMs to the district administration for the elections. There are approximately 8,417 polling stations in the district.

Pune district has received 19,107 ballot units, 10,690 control units, and 19,531 VVPAT machines from the Central Election Commission.

The preliminary inspection of these machines has been ongoing for the past three to four days at the FCI warehouse in Koregaon Park. The primary inspection checks whether the machines are operational.

This is followed by the first level check of the machines, carried out by engineers from the respective companies. The inspection is being conducted under the supervision of the Deputy District Collector and Tehsildar, with the assistance of Talathi, Mandal officers, and clerks from the revenue department, according to district administration sources.

According to the preliminary list publised by the district administration, the voter population in Pune city and district has surged to 84.39 lakh, comprising 44.03 lakh men, 40.35 lakh women, and 745 third-gender voters. This marks an increase of 100,000 voters since the Lok Sabha elections, which had a voter count of 8.338 million.