Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 17: The State Election Commission is exploring the possibility of conducting local body elections in three phases due to a shortage of EVM machines, officials said. If an additional two to two-and-a-half lakh EVMs are made available by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the duration of the elections and the model code of conduct could be shortened.
The Supreme Court has ordered that elections for all district councils, municipalities, and municipal corporations in Maharashtra must be completed by January 31, 2026, and no extension will be granted under any circumstances, a division bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi emphasized. Following this, the State Election Commission has moved swiftly to ensure all elections are conducted without delay.
The delimitation of district council constituencies has been completed, and reservations for the posts of chairpersons have been announced. Once the final voter list is published, elections can proceed smoothly.
Currently, the major challenge before the commission is the availability of EVMs. Only 65,000 machines are available, while over 90,000 polling booths are to be set up across the state. During the Lok Sabha elections, increased polling booths were necessary to manage voter turnout, especially in Mumbai and other areas.
Even assuming one EVM per booth, the state requires around one lakh machines. The ECI has therefore requested additional EVMs from other states, which are expected to arrive by November. With Diwali in October and school-college holidays soon after, the first phase of municipal elections could likely be held in November.
Votes recorded in EVMs must be securely stored for several days after counting, meaning these machines can only be reused for the next phases once this legal requirement is met. Consequently, the second phase is expected in December and the third in January, with municipal corporation elections likely held last.
Holding elections in three phases would extend the period during which the model code of conduct is in effect, posing strategic challenges for the state government. However, if the ECI provides three to three-and-a-half lakh machines, the phased elections could be shortened, allowing the polls to be completed in the minimum possible timeframe. This would also reduce the impact of one election result influencing the next and ease the process for political parties, officials said.