EC to discuss sharing of tech, EVMs, electoral rolls with state poll panels

New Delhi: The Election Commission will discuss sharing technology with state poll panels, mandated to hold municipal and panchayat elections in states, at a conference here on Tuesday.

The conference is being held after a gap of 27 years. The last such conference was held in 1999. State Election Commissioners of all states and Union Territories will participate along with their legal and technical experts.

At the round table conference EC is holding with state election commissions, "discussions will focus around sharing of technology, EVMs and electoral rolls, besides strengthening of electoral processes," the poll authority said.

State poll panels take EC's electoral rolls, used for assembly polls, and employ them as per their requirements for holding local body polls.

The shelf life of an EVM is 15 years, and machines at the end of their life cycle are usually given to state poll panels for holding local elections.

The EC at present uses 'M3' or Mark III type of EVMs to hold Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

The EC does not charge states for using their EVMs. Once an EVM leaves the EC's custody, it is no longer called ECI-EVM.

Machines that complete their life cycle are destroyed under security.

The Union law ministry is provided funds in the Union budget to help EC buy required EVMs from Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) -- the two PSUs which manufacture the voting machines.

The Election Commission will also offer to help state ECs develop technology platforms similar to ECINET, as well as training support for their officials in election management.

Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 36 states and UTs will also attend the event, EC said.

"The primary objective of the round table conference is to foster synergies in the functioning of ECI and SECs with respect to electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks," EC had earlier said.