Bihar poll body requisitioning EVMs for panchayat polls likely in October

Bihar panchayat polls are likely to begin from October after the end of the rainy season in September and results may be announced by the end of November or by December.

Almost two months after the deferment of the panchayat polls, the Bihar state election commission (SEC) has started requisitioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) from different states to conduct the rural local body polls tentatively from October onwards.

The Bihar panchayat polls could be held in more than 10 phases if the poll panel does not get as many EVMs as required. (PTI Photo)

Right now, all panchayats are being run through advisory committees following the expiry of the term of the three tier local bodies on June 15 due to the deferment of the polls-- scheduled to be held in March and April—due to factors like non- availability of EVMs and the second wave of the coronavirus.

Officials aware of the developments said the election commission foresees a requirement of 850,000 EVMs for conducting multi-phased polls in about 115,000 booths to fill 250,000 posts in the three tier local bodies and gram kutcheries.

The state commission has also got the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) approval to use single post EVMs (M2 model) for the exercise. The M1 and M2 are the older models that are less sophisticated than the latest M3 model.

State poll officials said the poll exercise will likely begin from October after the end of the rainy season in September and results will be announced by the end of November or by December. “We are keen to complete the poll exercise by November or early December so that all rural local bodies are constituted, preventing further legal or constitutional complications,” said another SEC officer, seeking anonymity.

However, the possibility of a third wave of coronavirus in the coming months had the potential to impede poll preparations. The use of single post EVMs or the M2 model instead of multi post EVMs also presents challenges such as requirement of large space inside the booths to keep the voting machines and longer time taken to cast each vote.

“Six EVMs and six control units have to be placed in each booth on an average. If the candidates are more than 15, two sets of EVMs have to be used. This will consume large space in polling stations. Besides, voters would take at least two to three minutes to cast each vote. In that case, the voting percentage will be less because large crowds will not be allowed to gather at booths due to Covid-19 containment protocols,” said one poll body officer.

However, SEC officials added that preparations were in full swing and all logistical problems will be sorted out in time. There is a chance that the panchayat polls could be held in more than 10 phases in case the poll panel does not get as many EVMs as required, said the secretary, SEC.