Mumbai: The state election commission (SEC) on Wednesday clarified that the Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU) will be used for counting of votes for the BMC elections only in extreme circumstances, if a technical issue occurs in Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) machines. Out of 29 municipal corporations elections, the machines are being used only for BMC, and 140 of them are being made available, in case technical problem occurs and additional machinery is required for counting of votes. This is to ensure uninterrupted and smooth counting of votes on January 16.
Political concerns
The clarification came after MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday raised serious technical concerns regarding the voting process and and highlighted the introduction of PADU machines is done without transperancy as political parties are not aware of them. He alleged that neither the public nor political parties have been shown how these units function.
Speaking with the media Thackeray said that even after formal inquiries (including a letter from Uddhav Thackeray), the SEC failed to provide clarity. “When EVMs are used, party representatives are called to verify the buttons. But this new machine hasn’t been shown to anyone. This is pure anarchy,” he added.
However, SEC in its statement said that the commission had directed the BMC to demonstrate the use of counting machines to the representatives of the political parties, which has been given by the BMC administration.
Elections schedule
Voting for the BMC elections will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. The elections will be conducted using M3A voting machines manufactured by M/s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru. During the counting of votes, it is mandatory to connect the ballot unit to the control unit.
Speaking on the back-up machinery, Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani had said, "The PADU machines will function as backup systems and will be activated in the event of any technical malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) control units, thereby ensuring accuracy and continuity in the counting process. The machines will be managed by the regional officers. This is the first time PADU machines will be used in the elections, though they are expected to be rarely needed."
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