Cabinet clears purchase of new EVMs for 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the Election Commission has received a go ahead from the Union Cabinet to purchase new electronic voting machines (EVM) to replace the obsolete ones.

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the Election Commission has received a go ahead from the Union Cabinet to purchase new electronic voting machines (EVM) to replace the obsolete ones.

Electronic Voting Machines have been used during the General and state elections from 1999. (HT File Photo)

The purchase of new machines from Bharat Electronic Ltd. (BEL), Bangalore and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), Hyderabad will allow the EC to phase out the old electronic voting machines procured during 2000-2005.

With the new machines in stock, the Election Commission will be able to meet the requirement of EVMs needed to conduct the 2019 General Elections to Lok Sabha and some of the state Assemblies.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet approved the proposal to purchase of four lakh Ballot Units (BUs), over three lakh Control Units (CUs) in 2017-18, and another four lakh BUs and over 71,000 CUs in 2018-19 at a total tentative unit cost of Rs.1,009.6 crore.

The Cabinet has authorised the Election Commission to vary the quantity to be ordered on from BEL and ECIL based on their production capacity and past performance in the supply of machines.