Calcutta: The Election Commission of India has initiated an extensive campaign featuring live demonstrations of electronic voting machines across Bengal to increase voter awareness, starting with Calcutta on Tuesday.

The initiative aims to educate voters, particularly first-timers, about the operation of EVMs and their crucial role in the poll process.

According to the plan, an EVM will be prominently stationed at every sub-divisional office and district headquarters.

Additionally, the commission will deploy one demo van equipped with an EVM in each of the 294 Assembly constituencies in a bid to reach out to remote areas where voter awareness might be limited.

The EVMs will be on display at offices of the sub-divisional officer sub-divisions and the district magistrate’s offices at district headquarters, covering all 23 districts and 69 subdivisions in the state.

This comprehensive approach ensures citizens from various regions have direct access to live demonstrations.

The demo vans will play a crucial role in educating voters in remote areas.

The vans will travel to various locations, offering people live demonstrations of the EVMs.

To enhance the learning experience, citizens will be allowed to operate the machines themselves for a first-hand understanding of the EVM’s functioning.

“We have done this mainly for first-time voters. As they don’t know the operating procedure, it (voting) becomes a problem for them,” said an EC official.

The official also stressed the importance of the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT).

This campaign will continue till the announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates.

The poll panel also plans to create informative films on EVMs to ensure an informed electorate.