Candidates who have applied for a re-check of the voting process in the recently concluded Lok Sabha and Assembly elections can choose from a number of options given by the Election Commission, including picking electronic voting machines (EVM) from any polling station in an Assembly segment and opting for a mock poll and mock voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slip count.

The commission released the technical standard operating procedures (SOP) on Tuesday.

Eleven candidates have applied for EVM and VVPAT memory verification. The requests essentially mean re-matching of votes polled in 5% of EVMs in each of these constituencies.

This is the first time that this re-evaluation will take place following the Supreme Court order of April 24 allowing the verification on the request of the runners-up in any election.

The SOP released by the commission were for EVM burnt memory checking and verification and had been sent to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States, the poll body said in a statement. It said the procedure allowed candidates to make selections from multiple choices.

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“The ‘randomness’ and ‘enormity’ of test vectors and expanded choice-based approach instead of controlled environment C&V process of burnt memory eliminates possibility or apprehension of any bias or hidden functionality in the firmware, by showing intended outcome(s) under parameters selected by the candidate and at every stage of C&V process,” the commission said.

Under the new SOPs, eligible candidates can give choices of polling stations or serial numbers of machines from within the Assembly segment or constituency, subject to a maximum of 5% of EVMs used in that constituency.

Candidates can also choose the option to mix and match EVM units from any polling station in an Assembly constituency.

Apart from this, all EVM units will undergo self-diagnosis on “switching on”. Whenever EVM units are connected together, there will be mutual authentication of each other. “The mutual authentication process ensures that spurious or unauthorised units do not get connected with ECI-EVMs at any stage,” the commission said.

The candidates can choose any sequence or pattern to cast any number of votes for mock poll, subject to the maximum limit of 1400 votes.

The complete checking and verification process will be held under CCTV monitoring and videographed.