State to buy 50K EVMs, rent another 25K to conduct local body polls

The SEC is planning to hold elections to 687 rural and urban local bodies across Maharashtra in three phases after Diwali, and around 150,000 EVMs would be required for the exercise, as per estimates of SEC officials

Mumbai: The state election commission (SEC) in Maharashtra has placed an order for purchasing 50,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Madhya Pradesh state election commission for renting an additional 25,000 EVMs which will be used during the upcoming local body polls.

Representational image (HT Photo)

The SEC is planning to hold elections to 687 rural and urban local bodies across Maharashtra in three phases after Diwali, and around 150,000 EVMs would be required for the exercise, as per estimates of SEC officials.

“The 50,000 EVMs ordered from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) can be used for polling in multi-member wards,” said Dinesh Waghmare, state election commissioner.

Typically, in Lok Sabha and assembly elections, voters elect only one candidate per constituency. But in case of elections to some municipal corporations and district councils in the state, voters must elect multiple members for a single ward, which is possible only if EVMs accommodate multiple members on the ballot unit, explained officials.

The 50,000 EVMs from ECIL, which are duly equipped, will cost ₹20,000 per unit including memory module and batter, and are likely to be delivered by October while the rental for 25,000 EVMs from the Madhya Pradesh SEC will be ₹1,000 per unit, said Waghmare.

According to the SEC’s plans, local body polls in the state are likely to be held in three phases after Diwali. District councils and panchayat samitis will go to polls in the first phase, likely in November, followed by municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the second phase, likely in December. Elections to municipal corporations including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be held in the third phase.

Counting of votes may also be undertaken in a phased manner without waiting for completion of all three phases of polling and a final decision would be taken after discussion with various political parties, said an official from the urban development department.

“If counting is conducted in a phased manner, EVMs used in the first phase will be freed for subsequent phases,” the official said.

According to SEC officials, the process of ward formation in district councils and panchayat samitis is likely to be completed by August 25. For municipal councils, nagar panchayats, and municipal corporations, it will be completed by October 13. Finalisation of voters’ list and draws for reservation will be completed in 15 days following the process of ward formation.

“Elections can be held around 45 days after all these steps are completed,” said an official.