SEC, EC resolve dispute over EVMs; early panchayat polls on cards in Bihar

Officials in the know said the EC has assured the state poll panel that it will provide EVMs (models that are used in assembly and parliamentary polls) based on availability

After almost two months of deadlock between the State Election Commission (SEC) and Election Commission of India (EC) over the procurement of multi-post electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the upcoming panchayat polls in Bihar, there are indications that both sides have settled the dispute by favouring the use of general EVMs.

Representational image. (ANI)

The development comes after high-level talks took place between EC and SEC in New Delhi on Thursday. Officials in the know said the EC has assured the state poll panel that it will provide EVMs ( models that are used in assembly and parliamentary polls) based on availability of the voting machines , a proposition to which the SEC is now open.

“We have discussed the option of using EVMs used by EC in assembly and general polls. It is a viable option and we will now work on it.The talks have been positive and we feel the panchayat polls will now be conducted at the earliest through EVMs,” said secretary, SEC, Yogendra Ram.

According to officials in the know, EC and SEC representatives discussed procuring multi-post EVM model B-3 SSDM from the ECIL( Electronic Corporation of India Limited), Bengaluru.

But the proposition was not found feasible as the ECIL expressed its inability to provide 15,000 multi-post EVMs of B-3 model in a short time.

“ECIL has communicated that it would take at least several months to provide EVMs as per specifications by SEC . That would inordinately delay the panchayat polls. This is why, we feel it is feasible to use general EVMs that would be made available by EC,” said a senior SEC functionary.

SEC officials said the state poll panel would now work on the new plan of holding the panchayat polls through EVMs provided by EC. Needless to say, the task of holding the polls through simple EVMs is said to be more challenging given that each polling station would require at least six EVMs for six posts. That way a few hundred thousand EVMs would be required. “There are logistics involved. All these points will be put before the Commission,” the functionary added.

Admittedly, the decks have now been cleared for early panchayat polls . The SEC had filed a writ petition in the Patna high court in February seeking judicial remedy over the EC’s reluctant stand in giving permission to ECIL, Bengaluru to provide multi-post EVMs. The court , during its last two hearings, had ordered both the poll panels to settle the matter amicably; however, the case is still pending.