Elections to GHMC and other Corporations will be held using ballot papers: State Election Commission

Hyderabad: The State Election Commission on Monday decided to hold the elections with ballot boxes, It would be a paper ballot and not the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the forthcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. Drawing curtains to the speculations of utilizing electronic voting machines for the GHMC elections. 

Thinking about the overarching pandemic, aside from GHMC, voting stations will be used for leading the other left over ULBs Elections. The decision to this effect was taken after detailed deliberations, available time and also opinions expressed by political parties.

According to a press release, it is informed that a meeting was held by the SEC with the GHMC Commissioner, to discuss whether to conduct elections with Ballot boxes or EVMs. It was



decided in the meeting to obtain views and opinions of political parties. Majority of the political parties favoured to conduct GHMC elections with Ballot Boxes only.

Further, numerous stages are included before utilization of EVMs and VVPATs in Polling Stations, including First Level Checking, Second Level checking, Randomization and Commissioning of EVMs. In all the stages, gigantic number of Engineers deputed by makers, agents of ideological groups, political decision staff are included.

Many unskilled labour will be deployed for cleaning, unpacking and packing EVMs and VVPATs in a closed environment. During the COVID-19 Pandemic situation, it is felt that conducting all these above activities would involve high risk of Community spread of novel corona virus (COVID-19), when compared to use of Ballot Boxes.