Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were introduced to replace paper ballots, aiming to make voting faster, cut down on invalid votes, and reduce booth-capturing and ballot-related fraud.
Step 2: The rollout timeline.
EVMs were first tried out in a few constituencies from 1982 onwards, then used more widely through the 1990s and early 2000s. By the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, EVMs were used across the entire country for the first time.
Final Answer:
EVMs came into use across the whole country by 2004.