All polling stations in Telangana to have new EVMs for upcoming State elections and 2024 LS polls

The Election Commission of India has decided to deploy new electronic voting machines in all the polling stations across Telangana for the 2023 State Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission of India has decided to deploy new electronic voting machines in all the polling stations across the State.

The ECI has accordingly allocated 73,210 ballot units (BUs), 54,310 control units (Cus) and 53,255 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines made by the ECILto the State for the assembly elections due towards the year end and Lok Sabha polls due mid next year.

The machines had been dispatched to the State and the State election authority, Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, had completed the user acceptance test, the basic test to verify the functioning of these machines. First level checks of these machines will begin on June 1 in all the districts under the supervision of the district election officers and officials from the ECIL in the presence of the political parties. The process is likely to take a fortnight for completion.

A high-level team of the ECI which visited the State recently also inquired about the staff position in the CEO’s office as the State in view of the commencement of the election year. The CEO’s office reportedly informed the ECI team that one post of additional CEO was lying vacant and there was requirement of additional staff for smooth conduct of election duties.

The ECI team which was here to review the State’s preparedness for elections insisted on whether the electoral rolls were ready. The team is understood to have expressed concern over the large scale additions and deletions before the previous elections as well as the bye-election to Munugode assembly constituency.

“The team appeared little concerned about the large number of entries and deletions. Instructions have been issued to take up verification of the information so as to ensure that no genuine voter is left out in the election process,” a senior official told The Hindu. The team is understood to have raised the complaints received by the ECI on presence of large number of voters in the same door number and asked the officials concerned about the number of such cases.

“There are no specific guidelines related to number of voters in a particular door number. But unusual number of voters in the same house is sure to raise concerns,” the official said. The EC team wanted the State election authority to make permanent arrangements for providing assured minimum facilities at all the polling stations as they remain more or less unchanged.