What is the current VVPAT audit percentage?
Currently, VVPAT audit is done in five polling stations (booths) per Assembly Constituency (AC). An average Assembly Constituency has about 250 to 300 booths. Auditing only 5 of them means the audit coverage is roughly 1.6% to 2%. Since a Lok Sabha seat consists of multiple Assembly segments (usually 6 to 9), they audit 5 booths from each segment. This results in an audit of about 30 to 45 booths out of roughly 2,000+ total booths—maintaining the same ~1.5% to 2% coverage.
07-01-2026
Won't a return to paper ballots bring back the old menace of booth capturing?
Booth capturing is fundamentally a failure of law and order, not a failure of the paper ballot itself. The reduction in booth capturing over the years is due to the presence of Central Paramilitary Forces (CRPF/CISF) and better security protocols, not the introduction of EVMs. If we returned to paper ballots today with current security levels, booth capturing would remain as difficult as it is now. More importantly, any incidence of booth capturing with paper ballots will be visible and localised.
24-02-2026