2026 T.N. elections: First-level verification of EVMs and VVPATs begins in Chennai

Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the EVM (electronic voting machine) first-level checking began on Thursday (December 11, 2025) at the electronic voting machine storage warehouse in Chintadripet.

According to a press release, the first-level checking of the EVMs would continue for about a month, and 250 to 300 machines would be checked each day. Officials would first inspect the machines for defects, open them to check for the presence of any material, and verify the functioning of the buttons. Three separate teams would examine the machines, the release stated.

The machines found to be functioning properly at all stages would be set aside for election use, while those with defects would be sent to the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) unit in Bengaluru. It mentioned that the district currently had 6,603 control units, 13,631 EVMs, and 7,310 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units, all of which would be checked in the presence of party representatives.

Chennai District Election Officer and Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J. Kumaraguruburaran held the inspection with officials and representatives of recognised political parties.