The inspection is being carried out in preparation for the 2026 by-election to the 103rd Perundurai Assembly Constituency, which was declared vacant. The EVM warehouse was opened on June 16 in the presence of representatives of all recognized political parties, following which the first-level verification process commenced.
The verification process, which entered its third day on June 18, will continue for another two days. During the inspection, the Collector reviewed the procedures followed by six engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited and received details regarding the testing and certification of the EVMs and VVPAT units to be used in the by-election.
As part of the first-level checking, the performance, technical reliability and operational readiness of the EVMs and VVPAT machines are being thoroughly examined.
For the 292 polling stations in the Perundurai Assembly Constituency, a total of 584 Ballot Units, 584 Control Units and 584 VVPAT machines—equivalent to 200 percent of the required machines—are undergoing verification at the warehouse.
Following the completion of the first-level checks, mock polling exercises will be conducted. The machines selected for the mock polls will be tested in the presence of representatives of political parties, in accordance with the guidelines of the Election Commission of India.
Officials stated that all election-related preparations are being carried out with complete transparency and in strict compliance with Election Commission norms.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer and Additional Secretary V. Sridhar also reviewed and audited the ongoing verification process.
Among those present during the inspection were Assistant Director of Town Panchayats Venkatesan, Personal Assistant (Elections) to the Collector Maheswari, Tahsildar Shanmuga Sundaram, departmental officials and representatives of recognized political parties.