The Office of the Deputy Commissioner & District Election Officer, Mokokchung, has informed that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units to be used in the forthcoming by-election to the 28-Koridang Assembly Constituency have been commissioned.

According to a press note issued by the district election authority, the commissioning process was undertaken following the finalization of the list of contesting candidates and the second randomization of EVMs and VVPATs. The process included installing ballot papers on ballot units, candidate setting in the control units and symbol loading in VVPATs, among other procedures. The instructions followed for commissioning are as laid down in the Manual on Electronic Voting Machines available on the Election Commission of India website.

The commissioning exercise was conducted on March 30, 2026, at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Mokokchung, under the supervision of the Returning Officer/Assistant Returning Officer concerned.

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All contesting candidates were requested to be present or to depute authorized representatives to oversee the process. Representatives and agents of the candidates were present during the commissioning. As part of the procedure, five per cent of the EVMs and VVPATs were randomly selected, and 1,000 votes were cast in each for verification of the electronic result with the VVPAT slip count. In total, three sets of EVMs and VVPATs were used for the mock poll, during which 3,000 VVPAT slips were counted and found to match with the control unit results.

Following the completion of the commissioning, the machines have been stored in the strong room in accordance with the security protocol prescribed by the Election Commission of India. The strong room will be opened and closed in the presence of contesting candidates or their representatives under videography on the day of dispersal.