PUNE: Electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in the recently concluded municipal elections will be redeployed for the upcoming zilla parishad (ZP) and panchayat samiti (PS) polls across 12 districts. The State Election Commission (SEC) has directed that the memory cards from these machines be removed and secured in govt treasuries before the equipment is handed over for rural polling.
With voting scheduled for Feb 5 and counting on Feb 7, state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare has instructed municipal commissioners to complete the technical transition by Monday evening. The EVMs will then be transferred to the respective district collectors. “Instructions have been issued, and the EVMs must be handed over for the ZP and PS elections in the districts by Monday evening,” Waghmare told TOI. Senior SEC officials noted that the move is a critical part of preparations for the long-pending rural local body elections. The 12 districts involved are five from Pune division, three from Konkan division, and four from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division. “The plan involves moving EVMs within the same districts. The existing memory cards will be removed and stored in the govt treasury to be preserved in case any election petitions are filed in court later,” a senior official explained. The upcoming elections will decide the fate of 731 ZP seats and 1,462 PS seats. The model code of conduct is already in effect in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur. To facilitate the process, the SEC will set up 25,482 polling stations, utilising 51,537 control units and 1,10,329 ballot units. “Additional EVMs are being arranged to ensure there is no shortage, and adequate stock is being reserved well in advance,” an official added. Meanwhile, the SEC is facing requests to change the polling date. MLA Vishwajit Kadam has written to the commission citing the annual yatra of Shri Mayakka Devi at Chinchli, coinciding with Feb 5 election date. Kadam pointed out that the yatra attracts lakhs of devotees from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, with heavy participation specifically from Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Solapur. “If the main day of the yatra falls on polling day, a large number of voters are likely to be away from their villages, which could directly impact voter turnout,” Kadam’s letter stated, urging the SEC to reconsider the schedule. Responding to the request, Waghmare said the commission is looking into the matter. “We have sought reports from divisional commissioners and district collectors. A decision will be taken only after reviewing their feedback,” he said. SEC officials added that several other representatives, including a BJP MLA, have made similar requests to shift the polling day.
