Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used for the first time in India in:

Electronic Voting Machines were used for the first time in India in 50 polling stations of the Parur (North Paravur) Assembly constituency in Kerala in May 1982.

Development of EVMs:

• EVMs were developed by the Election Commission of India with two public sector companies: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru, and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad.
• The first prototype was developed in 1980.

Legal challenge:

• The 1982 election in North Paravur was challenged in court because there was no legal provision for the use of EVMs.
• In 1984, the Supreme Court set aside the election in the polling stations where EVMs were used and ordered fresh polling with ballot papers.
• In 1988, Parliament amended the Representation of the People Act, 1951, by inserting Section 61A, which allowed the use of EVMs.

Gradual adoption:

• EVMs were used on a trial basis in some Assembly constituencies in the late 1990s.
• They were used in all Assembly constituencies in some states from 2001.
• The 2004 Lok Sabha elections were the first general elections in which EVMs were used in all constituencies.

Advantages of EVMs:

• They make voting faster and counting quicker.
• They eliminate invalid votes.
• They reduce the cost of printing ballot papers.
• They reduce booth capturing because only a limited number of votes can be cast per minute.

VVPAT:

• The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system was added later, so that voters can see a paper slip confirming their vote.
• VVPATs are now used with all EVMs.

Concerns and responses:

• Some political parties have raised doubts about the security of EVMs.
• The Election Commission and the courts have said that EVMs are reliable and cannot be tampered with easily.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The 1977 elections used paper ballots.
• ✗The Delhi elections of 1993 and the 2004 Lok Sabha elections came later; 2004 was the first general election fully with EVMs.