Opposition fears ‘vote chori’ as PADU machines are EVM backup for civic polls

For the first time, the civic body plans to use PADU machines during the counting of votes to display vote counts in case there is a technical malfunction

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) decision to deploy Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU) machines as a back up during vote counting if EVMs fail during the 2026 civic elections has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In preparation for the civic polls the administration has assigned EVMs at random to voting booths. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

For the first time, the civic body plans to use PADU machines during the counting of votes to display vote counts in case there is a technical malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) control units. Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani announced on Monday that the devices would function only as a contingency measure to prevent disruptions in the counting process.

“These PADU units are acting as a backup. In case of any emergency or technical error in connecting the voting units to the control unit, PADU will be used. A total of 140 such units have been sent, and regional officers will manage them,” Gagrani said.

Emphasising that the machines were unlikely to be needed frequently, he added that they would serve as a safeguard against technical glitches and would print election results directly from the EVM control unit.

HT graphic

Ruben Mascarenhas, working president of AAP Mumbai, told HT that the machines lacked the mandatory approval of the State Election Commission (SEC). “The problem is there is no SEC sanction for the use of that machine. When it comes to the balloting unit and the control unit, they are randomised and there is a defined process to determine which machine goes to which booth. With this PADU machine there is no randomisation or sanction of the election commission, and no checks by representatives of political parties. How do we know the PADU machine will give an accurate result? Why is this being brought in at the last minute and not at the start of the election process?” he said.

Describing the move as a fresh attempt at “vote chori”, the AAP has written to the SEC objecting to what it called the “bizarre” use of PADU machines in the event of an EVM malfunction. “In yesterday’s all-party meeting, we were told that a new machine, PADU, will be used if the EVM’s display unit fails, and that this machine will then display the result,” AAP stated in its letter to the SEC.

The party’s letter pointed out that EVM control units and ballot units are subjected to rigorous randomisation and checking protocols mandated by the election commission, in which party representatives also participate. “There is no such protocol for these PADU machines. How then can we be certain that these machines are displaying the actual result and are not tampering with it?” the letter asked.

Mascarenhas further argued that even if the probability of a display unit malfunction is low, the use of PADU machines without SEC approval is unacceptable. “The SEC should withdraw the use of these machines with immediate effect. If EVMs malfunction, the election is null and void,” he said.

Mascarenhas also flagged the absence of VVPAT machines in the BMC elections, noting that the civic polls are held in single-member wards and therefore do not face the limitations associated with multi-member constituencies.

“There is no restriction on using VVPAT in BMC elections. We urge the election commission to direct the BMC commissioner not to use any machine like PADU which is not sanctioned by SEC orders, no matter how low the probability of its use,” Mascarenhas added, asserting that it was the constitutional mandate of the SEC to ensure free and fair polls.

Despite Mascarenhas’s allegations, Gagrani clarified that the PADU machines have been sanctioned by the SEC.