6 months ago
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The Maharashtra State Election Commission connected Wednesday (November 19, 2025) told the Bombay High Court (HC) that the usage of VVPAT machines was not mandatory for section assemblage polls, and it was besides not technically feasible.
The committee filed an affidavit opposing a petition filed by Congress person Prafulla Gudadhe earlier the Nagpur seat of the HC, challenging its determination not to usage VVPAT successful the upcoming section assemblage elections successful Maharashtra.
Mr. Gudadhe, successful his plea, said the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) strategy was indispensable for a transparent predetermination process.
During the proceeding connected Wednesday (November 19), a seat headed by Justice Anil Kilor sought to cognize the crushed for not utilizing VVPAT machines particularly erstwhile a Supreme Court judgement said the usage of VVPAT was a must.
The commission’s lawyer told the tribunal that the SC judgement applied lone to the wide elections, and not section assemblage polls.
VVPAT machines were not utilized during the 2017 municipal polls too, helium pointed out.
The commission, successful its affidavit, said section assemblage Acts, which govern municipal elections, bash not mandate the usage of VVPAT.
There are besides issues of method feasibility of designing and manufacturing a VVPAT instrumentality which tin beryllium utilized for multi-member and multi-post EVMs, it said.
The Parliamentary and Assembly elections are single-member, single-post elections wherever lone 1 campaigner is chosen by a voter, and the EVMs utilized by the Election Commission are specifically designed for that purpose, the affidavit said.
Village Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations are multi-member, multi-post constituencies, it added.
The seat posted the substance for further proceeding connected Thursday (November 20).
The archetypal circular of section assemblage elections successful Maharashtra volition beryllium held connected December 2.
In his petition filed done advocates Pawan Dahat and Nihal Singh Rathod, Gudadhe said if the SEC was not going to usage the VVPAT, the polls should beryllium held utilizing ballot papers. VVPAT is an autarkic strategy attached to an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), allowing voters to verify that their votes are formed arsenic intended.
The petition urged the HC to nonstop the SEC to clasp the upcoming section assemblage polls done ballot papers oregon quash the commission’s determination to not usage VVPAT machines.
He besides sought the tribunal to restrain the SEC from utilizing EVMs without VVPAT machines successful immoderate election.
The close to ballot is simply a cardinal right, and each national has the close to cognize if his oregon her ballot has been rightly cast, the plea said.
