How has the method of voting changed from the first general elections of 1952 to the general elections of 2004 ?
(i) In the first general election it was decided to place inside each polling booth a box for each candidate with the election symbol of that candidate. Each voter was given a blank ballot which they had to drop into the box of the candidate they wanted to vote for. About 20 lakh steel boxes were used for this purpose.
(ii) After first two elections, this method was changed. Now the ballot paper carried the names and symbols of all the candidates and the voter was required to put a stamp on the name of the candidate they wanted to vote for. This method worked for nearly forty years.
(iii) Towards the end of 1990s, the Election Commission started using the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). By 2004, the entire country had shifted to the EVM.
