The correct answer is option (4) - 2004
Towards the late 1990s, the Election Commission introduced Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). By 2004, the entire country had transitioned to using EVMs for elections.
Evolution of Voting Methods in India:
1st Phase:
In the first & second General elections, inside every polling booth, one box for each candidate was placed with his/her election symbol.
Every single voter was given a blank ballot paper.
They had to place the blank ballot paper in the ballot box of the candidate they wanted to win.
Almost 20 Lakhs ballot boxes were used for this purpose.
2nd Phase:
From the 3rd General election, the ballot paper had on it the symbols and names of every candidate.
The voters were supposed to mark a stamp on the name of the candidate they wanted to vote for.
This method was used in India for nearly forty years.
3rd Phase:
Towards the end of the 1990s, the Election Commission started using Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) to record the voters' preferences.
EVMs were used for the first time in the by-elections of the North Paravur Assembly constituency in Kerala in 1982.
In 1998 EVMs were used in the constituencies of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi (elections of the Legislative Assembly).
In 2004 EVMs were used in the elections of 543 Parliamentary constituencies |
