With local body elections just six months away, an EVM crisis is brewing. The administration is scrambling as a massive shortage and malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) threatens to derail election preparations across the district.
After the Supreme Court cleared the path for elections to Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, Municipal Corporations, Nagar Parishads, and Nagar Panchayats, the government ordered immediate action. Elections for all Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis will be held simultaneously across Maharashtra, followed closely by urban body polls—pushing the demand for EVMs to an all-time high.
But there’s a problem—many machines are broken, and those available are outdated. The district administration currently has 3,426 Ballot Units (BUs) and 2,234 Control Units (CUs). Shocking inspection results reveal that only 2,070 BUs and 1,933 CUs are in working condition. The rest are faulty and unusable.
EVMs have been lying unused for nearly a decade, as civic elections haven’t been held in almost four years. Now, just when the polls are finally returning, the system is cracking under the pressure.
With neighboring districts also needing EVMs, the fear of statewide scarcity is real. Authorities are now preparing to borrow machines from other regions.
The clock is ticking. Without urgent repairs or fresh EVM allocations, democracy’s most basic tool—voting—could come to a standstill. The administration must act fast, or face a full-blown electoral crisis.
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