EVM — Assessment Question Bank (with answer key)

Rajasthan ULB General Election 2026 · Model: ECIL MPSV

Every answer carries its source. If a trainee disputes an answer, open the cited document and show it — do not argue. Tags explained in SOURCES.

Use: Part A (everyone, 20 Q) · Part B (Presiding Officer, 15 Q) · Part C (Returning Officer, 10 Q) · Part D (scenario, 8 Q). Suggested pass mark: 80% — this is election work, not a routine test.

🔗 Every citation tag is clickable in CITATIONS — it opens the source PDF at the exact page.

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Part A — for all polling personnel

A1. How many units does an EVM have? (a) One (b) Two — Control Unit and Ballot Unit (c) Three (d) Four ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.1]

A2. Where is all election-related data stored? (a) In the Control Unit (b) In the Ballot Unit (c) In the SDMM (d) In the battery pack ✅ (c) — no polling data is stored in the CU · [MPSV Ch.1]

A3. How long is the cable between the Ballot Unit and the Control Unit? (a) 2 m (b) 3 m (c) 5 m (d) 10 m ✅ (c) · [MPSV Ch.1, Ch.5]

A4. In what colour has the SEC had MPSV machines made? (a) Blue (b) Pink (c) White (d) Green ✅ (b) — carrying cases are also pink · [MPSV Ch.1]

A5. When should the TOTAL button be pressed? (a) Any time (b) Only when the Busy lamp is off (c) When Busy is on (d) Only at close of poll ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

A6. What does the green lamp on the Control Unit mean? (a) Machine faulty (b) Power ON (c) Voter is voting (d) Poll closed ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.1]

A7. The green Ready lamp on the Ballot Unit means — (a) Machine busy (b) The voter may now cast the vote (c) Vote already cast (d) Error ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.3]

A8. How many voters may be in the voting compartment at a time? (a) Two (b) Only one (c) Three (d) No limit ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

A9. When should BALLOT be pressed? (a) As soon as the voter enters the compartment (b) When the previous voter has finished voting and left the compartment (c) As soon as the voter arrives (d) Every 2 minutes ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

A9-A. 🚨 Who presses the BALLOT button? (a) The voter himself (b) The Third Polling Officer (in charge of the Control Unit) (c) The polling agent (d) The First Polling Officer ✅ (b) — "the 'Ballot' button shall be pressed by the Third Polling Officer in charge of the Control Unit" · [MG ch.9(6)1, ch.14(3)10] · at small polling stations the Presiding Officer may do this himself [MG ch.2(3)9]

🟡 Note for the trainer — this is not a "the old answer was wrong" question. Rule 37-A(2) — "the Presiding Officer or the polling officer in charge of the Control Unit" — both are lawful. The Margdarsika 2026 allocates the duty to PO-3. That is why (b) is the answer and (d) is not — but an answer naming the Presiding Officer is not unlawful, merely not the 2026 allocation. 🚨 Option (a) — "the voter himself" — is wrong in every circumstance. The voter never touches the CU [rule 32-B(6)].

A9-B. Which unit does the voter go up to? (a) The Control Unit (b) The Ballot Unit only (c) Both (d) The SDMM ✅ (b) — the CU stays on the Presiding Officer's table, in full view of the agents · [rule 32-B(6)]

A10. Where is indelible ink applied before permitting a voter to vote? (a) Right index finger (b) Forefront of the left index finger (c) Left thumb (d) Right thumb ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5, Ch.7]

A11. What is the position on invalid votes in an EVM? (a) Up to 5% possible (b) No scope at all (c) Same as ballot paper (d) Only in NOTA ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.1]

A12. What is the usual cause of LINK ERROR-1? (a) Low battery (b) Interconnecting cable not fitted properly, or slide switch in the wrong position (c) SDMM not fitted (d) RTC faulty ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.7]

A13. What should be done on PRESSED ERROR? (a) Replace the machine (b) Go into the voting compartment and press all buttons once, gently (c) Switch off the CU (d) Stop the poll ✅ (b) — correct the BU indicated on the display · [MPSV Ch.7]

A14. CLOCK ERROR appears during the poll. What do you do? (a) Stop the poll (b) Replace the machine (c) The poll may continue — there is no effect on functionality or on polling data (d) Call ECIL and wait ✅ (c) — but if it appears before the poll begins, replace the CU and report to ECIL · [MPSV Ch.7]

A15. First step on SDMM NOT RESPONDING? (a) Pull out the SDMM immediately (b) Switch the CU off, then refit the SDMM properly (c) Change the battery (d) Press CLEAR ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.7]

A16. Which of the following is prohibited? (a) Packing in carrying cases (b) Connecting/disconnecting the BU while the CU is ON (c) Pressing TOTAL (d) Showing zero to the agents ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.7]

A17. What must be kept in mind while sealing? (a) The wax should be hot (b) The direct candle flame must not touch the machine and molten wax must not fall on any part (c) Seal quickly (d) Use thin thread ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.4, Ch.5]

A18. What happens if you try to open the Control Unit or Ballot Unit? (a) Nothing (b) It will become inoperative (c) Battery drains (d) Data doubles ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.7]

A19. What is provided on the Ballot Unit for visually impaired voters? (a) Large print (b) Braille signage (c) Audio (d) Nothing ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.1]

A20. In what order do voters enter the compartment? (a) First come first served (b) In the order their names appear in the voter register (c) By age (d) No order ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

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Part B — for Presiding Officers

B1. On poll day, where does the Presiding Officer apply the Pink Paper Seal? (a) On the lowest part of the Ballot Unit (b) Between the Candidate Set and Result sections (c) On the door of the inner compartment of the Result Section (d) On the carrying case ✅ (c) · [MPSV Ch.5] (a) is applied at commissioning by ECIL/BEL engineers [2184 ¶9(xvi)]; (b) at FLC [2184 ¶5(xiv)]

B2. How is the Pink Paper Seal to be fixed? (a) Pink surface to the back (b) White surface to the back, pink surface visible through the hole from outside (c) Pink on both sides (d) No rule ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

B3. Roughly how long does the CLEAR operation take? (a) 5 sec (b) 10 sec (c) About 25 seconds (d) 2 minutes ✅ (c) · [MPSV Ch.5]

B4. Invalid operation is displayed on pressing CLEAR. What do you do? (a) Replace the machine (b) Complete the CRC (Close → Result-1 → Clear) sequence again (c) Change the battery (d) Start the poll ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

B5. What is the most important step after the mock poll? (a) Press TOTAL (b) Press CLOSE (c) Press CLEAR to erase the mock poll votes (d) Pack the machine ✅ (c) — Warning: do not forget to CLEAR the mock poll votes · [MPSV Ch.5]

B5-A. 🚨 What is the minimum number of votes that must be cast in the poll-day mock poll? (a) 50 votes in all (b) At least one vote for each candidate, including NOTA (c) At least 10 votes (d) No minimum — as time permits ✅ (b) — "The mock poll must be conducted with a minimum of one vote each for every candidate, including NOTA." · [MG ch.4, printed p.20 — MPSV · MG ch.4-A, printed p.32 — M3A/MK-5]

B5-B. Must the number of votes per candidate in the mock poll be equal? (a) Yes, mandatory (b) No — the numbers may be unequal, but nobody may be left on zero (c) Yes, at least 5 each (d) Equal for all except NOTA ✅ (b) — recording more or fewer voters as time allows is unobjectionable, and the counts need not be equal — but every candidate and NOTA must receive at least one vote · [MG ch.4]

⚠️ For the trainer: the ECIL manual (2019) said only "need not be equal". The minimum-one-each requirement comes from the Margdarsika 2026. Ask both together — this is the most-missed point of the whole session.

B5-C. In the form of which Annexure is the mock poll certificate prepared, and where is it attached? ✅ In the form of Annexure-19; attached to Annexure-6; and point 30 of the Presiding Officer's diary records the mock poll and the certificate issued · [MG ch.4-A(4),(7),(13)]

B5-D. What record is kept about those who take part in the mock poll? ✅ A separate account on paper, per Annexure-19, of which mock voter voted for which candidate. Participants are issued a slip to cast the vote, which the Presiding Officer collects · [MG ch.4-A(4)]

B6. What is mandatory before sealing the Result Section? (a) Press BALLOT (b) Switch the CU OFF (c) Connect the BU (d) Remove the battery ✅ (b) — Warning: do not forget to switch the CU off before sealing the Result Section · [MPSV Ch.5]

B7. The Clear operation is possible only when — (a) BU is not connected (b) BU-1 is connected to the Control Unit and the SDMM is fitted inside the CU (c) Battery is removed (d) CLOSE has been pressed ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.3]

B8. What must be ensured just before starting the poll? (a) Battery is full (b) TOTAL is pressed and Total Voters shows ZERO (c) The wax is hot (d) Agents have arrived ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5, Ch.7]

B9. A voter cannot vote due to a machine problem during the poll. State the correct sequence. ✅ Remove the BU cable to create LINK ERROR → switch the CU off → reconnect the BU cable → switch the CU on → press BALLOT after all messages finish → the voter votes again · [MPSV Ch.7(ii)]

B10. What is the very first action at the close of poll? (a) Remove the battery (b) Remove the CLOSE button cap, press CLOSE, and replace the cap (c) Disconnect the BU (d) Press RESULT-I ✅ (b) · [SO 145 ¶1]

B11. What happens to voters standing in the queue at the closing time? (a) They are turned away (b) The EVM is closed only after all of them have been allowed to vote (c) Half of them (d) The Presiding Officer decides ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.5]

B12. What is entered on the Control Unit's address tag? (state five items) ✅ Name of the municipality · ward member number · CU identification number · name and number of the polling station · date of poll · [SO 145 ¶5]

B13. May candidates / polling agents sign the address tag? (a) No (b) Yes — those present and willing to sign shall be permitted (c) Only the winner (d) Only with the RO's permission ✅ (b) · [SO 145 ¶7]

B14. What is the instruction about the CLOSE button during the poll? (a) Keep the cap open (b) Do not open the cap unnecessarily; the plastic cap must be fitted properly to prevent it being pressed accidentally (c) Check it hourly (d) Remove the cap ✅ (b) · [MPSV Ch.3, Ch.5]

B15. What must the Presiding Officer verify when receiving the machine? ✅ That the machine number matches the sticker pasted at the back of the machine and the entries on the address tag · [2184 ¶11(iii)]

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Part C — for Returning Officers

C1. On an MPSV/MPMV machine, one Ballot Unit takes at most how many candidates (including NOTA)? (a) 12 (b) 15 (c) 16 (d) 60 ✅ (b) — MK-V/M3A takes 16** · [2184 ¶2, ¶9(vi)-(vii)]

C2. How many machines are sufficient for training? (a) 2% (b) 5% of the number of polling stations (c) 10% (d) 15% ✅ (b) · [2184 ¶6(i)]

C3. Which sticker goes on machines set aside for training, and may they be used in the poll? ✅ A pink round sticker (Anx-2) on the front of the machine; they shall NOT be used in the poll · [2184 ¶6(ii)-(iii)]

C4. When must political parties be notified of FLC? (a) Same day (b) 1 day before (c) At least 3 days before, in writing (d) Not required ✅ (c) · [2184 ¶5(iv)]

C5. The FLC officer-in-charge shall not be below which level? (a) Tehsildar (b) Rajasthan Administrative Service (c) Patwari (d) Any level ✅ (b) · [2184 ¶5(iii)]

C6. In the double-lock arrangement for the EVM storage room, one of the two officers shall not be below which rank? (a) Patwari (b) Sub-Divisional Magistrate (c) Tehsildar (d) Any ✅ (b) · [2184 ¶3(iv)]

C7. When and by whom is commissioning of voting machines done? ✅ At least three days before the poll, by BEL/ECIL authorised engineers, at municipality level; supervised by the RO · [2184 ¶9(ii)-(iii), ¶9(xviii)]

C8. 🚨 How many votes are cast in the mock poll at commissioning? ✅ 50 votes on each machine in 5 per cent of the machines; on the remaining machines as per candidates' satisfaction and time available. Candidates may also cast votes themselves · [2184 ¶9(xii)]

🚨 Never conflate the two mock polls — this trips people up both in the exam and in the field:

	Mock poll at COMMISSIONING	Mock poll on POLL DAY
When	at least three days before the poll	on poll day, before the poll opens
Conducted by	BEL/ECIL engineers, supervised by the RO	the Presiding Officer
How many votes	50 each in 5% of machines	🚨 at least one each for every candidate, NOTA included
Source	[2184 ¶9(xii)]	[MG ch.4 / ch.4-A]

C9. What is the limitation for filing an election petition in municipal elections? (a) 15 days (b) 30 days (c) 45 days (d) 3 months ✅ (b) — if no petition is filed, machines are cleared 30 days after declaration of results · [2184 ¶15]

C10. In case of a re-poll, what tag goes on the original machine? ✅ “गणना नहीं करनी है” (not to be counted) — clearly marked and affixed on that CU, which is kept sealed; the new re-poll machine gets “पुनर्मतदान की वोटिंग मशीन — गणना की जानी है”. Both tags are signed by the RO · [2184 ¶13(vi)]

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Part D — scenario questions

D1. The mock poll is done and the result reconciled. The polling agents urge you to skip ahead and seal the machine because time is short. What do you do? ✅ First press CLEAR to erase the mock poll votes, then after END switch the CU OFF, and only then seal. This step cannot be skipped · [MPSV Ch.5 — two explicit warnings]

D2. On counting day the seal of the CU carrying case is found broken, but the pink paper seal is intact. What follows? ✅ The result of that polling station may be declared. If any seal on the carrying case / Candidate Set Section / Result Section is damaged but the pink paper seal is intact, the result may be declared · [MPSV Ch.6(iii)]

D3. On counting day the pink paper seal is found tampered with. What do you do? ✅ 🚨 Set the Control Unit aside and do not attempt to ascertain the result of the votes recorded in that unit · [MPSV Ch.6(iii)]

D4. A ward has 19 candidates including NOTA and an MPSV machine is being used. How many Ballot Units, and what slide switch positions? ✅ Two Ballot Units (15 on the first BU, the remaining 4 on the second). First BU slide switch at 1, second at 2 · [2184 ¶2, ¶9(vi)]

D5. You are short of machines on training day. Can you use machines allotted for the poll? ✅ No. Only machines segregated for training may be used; that is precisely why they carry the pink round sticker — so they are not used in the poll. Request additional machines from the DEO · [2184 ¶6(ii)-(iii)]

D6. On FLC day, a candidate's representative wants to photograph the machines with his mobile. Do you permit it? ✅ No. No person — including officers and staff — may carry any electronic device such as a cellphone, camera or spy pen into the FLC hall, and no item may be carried out of the hall · [2184 ¶5(viii)]

D7. During FLC one button on a machine is not working. The ECIL engineer says he will open it and fix it on the spot. Your answer? ✅ No. There will be no repair in the field; opening the plastic cabinet in the field is absolutely not permitted; no part of the machine may be changed in the field — this is totally prohibited. The defective machine is to be kept aside · [2184 ¶5(x)]

D8. At commissioning, a staff member is leaving the last Ballot Unit's END button un-masked because the ECIL manual says so. What do you do? ✅ Have the END button masked. The Commission has directed that since MPSV/MPMV are being used to elect only the member post, there is no possibility of partial voting and the END button shall be masked — this instruction overrides the general instruction in the ECIL manual · [2184 ¶9(xxi)]

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Quick answer key

🚨 New questions added 21.08.2026 — A9-A, A9-B, B5-A, B5-B, B5-C, B5-D and the whole of Part E. They carry the Margdarsika 2026 positions that this bank previously did not cover: who presses BALLOT, the mandatory one-vote-per-candidate-including-NOTA mock poll, the Annexure-19 account and certificate, the 75-minute arrival, the Annexure-15 Check Memo, and the PO-1/2/3 duty split.

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🆕 Part E — Polling party duties, timing and the Check Memo (added 21.08.2026)

E1. How long before the appointed hour of the poll must the polling party reach the station? (a) 30 minutes (b) 45 minutes (c) 75 minutes (d) 2 hours ✅ (c) 75 minutes · Annexure-14 (outline of duties)

ℹ️ Chapter 14 of the Margdarsika says "at least one hour" — this is not a contradiction. "At least" states a minimum; Annexure-14 fixes a longer period (75 minutes). Teach 75 minutes.

E2. In which Annexure is the Presiding Officer's official Check Memo? (a) Annexure-6 (b) Annexure-14 (c) Annexure-15 (d) Annexure-19 ✅ (c) Annexure-15 — it is the Commission's own form; do not make your own list

E3. What does item 15 of the Check Memo cover? ✅ The paper seal number was noted, and the agents were made to note it too · (item 13 — declaration · item 14 — information about section 128 · item 19 — diary completed from time to time)

E4. What is the main duty of the First Polling Officer (PO-1)? ✅ Identification from the marked copy of the electoral roll; on identifying the voter he reads out all the particulars aloud so that PO-2 and the polling agents seated behind can hear — the agents may raise an objection to identity at that very moment · [MG ch.2(1)]

E5. If PO-1 notices a printing or clerical error in the roll, what does he do? (a) Turns the voter away (b) Pays no attention to it (c) Asks the RO (d) Records it in the register ✅ (b) — "the First Polling Officer shall pay no attention to printing and clerical errors in the roll" · [MG ch.14(3)10]

E6. What are the three duties of the Second Polling Officer (PO-2)? ✅ (1) filling the voter register · (2) applying indelible ink to the left index finger · (3) preparing and issuing the voter slip — and directing the voter to the officer in charge of the Control Unit · [MG ch.2(2)]

E7. What goes in the Remarks column of the voter register? ✅ 🚨 The last four digits of the serial number of the identity document · [MG]

E8. Where does the Third Polling Officer (PO-3) sit, and why? ✅ At the Presiding Officer's table, right beside him — so that the PRO can keep a close watch. PO-3 is in charge of the Control Unit · [MG ch.2(3)]

E9. What does PO-3 do if the order of admission is broken? ✅ Records a remark in column (4) of the voter register — and does so for the affected later voters too · [MG ch.2(3)3]

E10. What becomes of the slips collected from voters? ✅ PO-3 keeps them in a separate envelope; after the close of the poll that envelope is sealed · [MG ch.2(3)4]

E11. Can a small polling station manage without PO-3? ✅ Yes — the Presiding Officer may do PO-3's work himself; in that case two polling officers besides the PRO are sufficient · [MG ch.2(3)9]

E12. (Scenario) The mock poll is over, but one candidate received no vote at all because none of his agents was present. What does the Presiding Officer do? ✅ The mock poll is not complete. "A minimum of one vote each for every candidate, including NOTA" is mandatory — the absence of an agent is not an exception. A member of the polling party casts the vote to meet the requirement, and records in the Annexure-19 account who voted for whom · [MG ch.4, ch.4-A(4)]

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⚠️ What this question bank deliberately does not ask

No questions were framed on the following, because the available official documents do not answer them — see GAPS:

✅ Now asked — these used to be on this list:

⚠️ English parity note: modules 07–10 exist in Hindi only at present. Where the table points at a Hindi file, the English equivalent has not been written yet.

❌ Still not asked — because no official answer is available:

• Button-level procedure for MPMV and BEL MK-V/M3A — instruction manuals not available
• Order 652 dated 20.01.2026 — could not be retrieved from the Commission's site; obtain it from the DEO

🚨 If a participant asks about these, do not answer from assumption — say "it will be obtained from the Commission in writing." See GAPS.