mumbai:The Maharashtra State Election Commission on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that the use of VVPAT machines for local body elections is not mandatory and is not technically feasible. The Commission’s response came in response to a petition filed by Congress leader Praful Gudade.
Mr. Gudadhe, in his plea, said the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system was essential for a transparent election process.
During the hearing on Wednesday, a bench headed by Justice Anil Kilor sought to know the reason for not using VVPAT machines especially when a Supreme Court judgment said the use of VVPAT was a must. The commission’s lawyer told the court that the SC judgment applied only to the general elections, and not local body polls.
The commission, in its affidavit, said local body Acts, which govern municipal elections, do not mandate the use of VVPAT. It also pointed out that VVPAT machines were not used during the 2017 municipal polls.
The commission also said that the Parliamentary and Assembly elections are single-member, single-post elections where only one candidate is chosen by a voter, while village Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations are multi-member, multi-post constituencies.
The SEC maintained that its decision to conduct the upcoming elections using EVMs without VVPAT is based on legal limits, technical realities, and logistical constraints, and not on any unwillingness to ensure transparency. Responding to the petitioner’s alternative suggestion of reverting to paper ballots, the SEC stated that such a move was entirely unworkable.
The SEC affidavit further pointed out that the high court had already dismissed an identical plea in 2017. It argued that the present petition is an attempt to reopen a settled matter.
