The electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used for election of members of the District and Janpad Panchayats and ballot papers for election of panchs and sarpanchs.
State Election Commissioner R Parasuram gave this information during Panchayat election-related training here on Tuesday. The training was imparted to 12 Collectors and District Election Officers, 51 Deputy District Election Officers and 15 Assistant Collectors.
Parasuram informed number of polling booths have gone up as a result of possible elections in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Chhindwara and Morena municipal corporations and some Nagar Palika Parishads and Nagar Parishads, which were scheduled to be held in November earlier, side by side Panchayat elections in January.
The total number of polling booths will be about 73,000 in ensuing Panchayat and urban body elections.
The manufacturing company ECIl has expressed inability to provide additional EVMs for all these booths. After considering these circumstances, it has been decided that EVMs will be used for election of members of district and Janpad Panchayats and ballot papers for election of panchs and sarpanchs.
Parasuram lauded all collectors and deputy district election officers and their teams for successful conduct of urban body elections. He said that the ensuing Panchayat elections should be held with the same team spirit. The Commissioner informed that Panchayat elections will be held in 3 phases.
Deputy Secretary Deepak Saxena gave detailed information about randomisation and commissioning of EVMs and various other process of Panchayat elections. Deputy Secretary Girish Sharma informed about law & order, vulnerable mapping, communication plan and model code of conduct. Buddhesh Kumar Vaidya and Sheela Dahima informed about electioneering material management and voters’ awareness programme SENSE.
Accounts officer Pradeep Shukla and advisor GP Agrawal gave information about nomination process and Sanjay Dixit and other officers about EVMs, ballot boxes, counting process, sealing of DMM and other electoral processes.