The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday completed the first randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) for the 2026 assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry.

District Election Officers (DEOs) conducted the process using the EVM Management System (EMS), with representatives from national and state-recognised political parties present, according to an ECI press release.

The randomisation was carried out in two stages: first, EVMs were allocated from district warehouses to assembly constituencies, and then to individual polling stations. Only machines that passed the First Level Checking (FLC) were included.

Constituency-wise lists of EVMs and VVPATs were shared with party representatives at district headquarters. The machines are now stored securely in assembly strong rooms under party supervision.

The ECI will provide full records of both stages of randomisation to contesting candidates once they are finalised, ensuring transparency.

In a related update, the ECI has also completed EVM-VVPAT randomisation for bye-elections in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, and Tripura, scheduled for April 9.