The Election Commission of India (ECI), in compliance with a May 9 Supreme Court directive, has issued a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for post-election checks of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Key highlights:

Burnt-memory verification — the internal firmware of EVMs is to be checked for tampering to ensure data integrity.

Mock polls — the SOP permits the first two runners‑up to conduct mock polling on selected machines.

Two losing candidates can now be involved in mock votes on EVMs, providing enhanced transparency.

The full rollout is aimed at increasing electoral accountability and public confidence in the EVM‑VVPAT system.

Additionally, last month the Supreme Court further refined the testing protocol, declaring that during mock polls the symbol-loading unit cannot be changed, reinforcing the consistency of the voting setup used for verification .