Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were first conceived by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a replacement for the ballot paper and the ballot box in 1977. The design and development of the machine was entrusted to a public sector undertaking, the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) in Hyderabad which developed a prototype by 1979.
After this prototype had been tested by the ECI to its satisfaction, it was demonstrated to representatives of various political parties on August 5, 1980. Following a broad consensus, EVMs were first used in the North Paravur Assembly Constituency in Kerala in May 1982. . .
