भारतात इलेक्ट्रॉनिक मतदान यंत्रांचा प्रथम वापर ______ मध्ये केरळ मधील सर्वसाधारण निवडणुकीमध्ये झाला.

The correct answer is Option A (May 1982).

Key Points:
• Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were first conceptualized and designed by the Election Commission of India in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).
• EVMs were deployed for the very first time in India on an experimental basis in May 1982 during the Legislative Assembly election in Paravur constituency in Ernakulam district, Kerala across 50 polling stations.
• However, because the Representation of the People Act, 1951 had not yet explicitly enabled EVM voting, the Supreme Court struck down that specific election result in A.C. Jose v. Sivan Pillai (1984).
• Parliament subsequently amended the Representation of the People Act, 1951 in December 1988 (inserting Section 61A) to provide statutory backing for the widespread use of EVMs.
• Key Takeaway: EVMs were first used in India on an experimental basis in May 1982 in the Paravur constituency of Kerala.