SC rejects plea seeking 100 per cent matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs vote count
New Delhi, Apr 19: The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea seeking 100 per cent matching of the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) vote count in the elections, saying it will not interfere in the middle of poll process.
We are not going to interfere in the middle of election process, a bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said.
The Assembly election process is on in five states including West Bengal and the counting of votes for all the seats be held on May 2.
The bench asked the counsel, appearing for petitioner Gopal Seth, as to whether they had made any representation to the Election Commission (EC) on this.
Yes. They (EC) had appreciated our representation, the counsel said, adding that free and fair election is a right of the people.
He said the petitioner had earlier approached the Calcutta High Court on this issue.
The counsel argued the high court had said that the apex court had earlier passed order on this.
"The special leave petition is dismissed. As a sequel to the above, pending interlocutory applications, if any, stand disposed of," the bench said in its order.
In April 2019, the apex court had directed the EC to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment in the Lok Sabha polls and said it would provide greater satisfaction not just to political parties but the entire electorate.
Prior to that, the EC followed a system of random counting of VVPAT slips in one polling booth per assembly segment of a Parliamentary or Assembly constituency.
The top court had observed in 2019 that it was not doubting the fairness and integrity of the existing electoral process saying, "we are certain that the system ensures accurate electoral results".
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
