Panchayat polls in Bihar are likely to begin from October after the end of the rainy season. Results for the polls may be announced by the end of November or by December. Panchayat polls form another important layer of elections in India, at the village/groups of village levels.
It has been almost two months after the deferment of the panchayat polls. Currently, Bihar state election commission (SEC) has started requisitioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) from different states to conduct the rural local body polls tentatively from October onwards.
Officials aware of the developments said that the election commission foresees a requirement of 850,000 EVMs. These EVMS, the officials said, would be used for conducting multi-phased polls in about 115,000 booths to fill 250,000 posts in the three tier local bodies and gram kutcheries.
Last year, in the Bihar assembly election, there were innovative ways of rallying like inclusion of songs for placing ideas and questions for the public. New parties like the Plurals party also tried their electoral luck in the assembly election. Similar developments can also be expected in the run-up to the panchayat polls.
Following the expiry of the term of the three tier local bodies on June 15 due to the deferment of the polls scheduled to be held in March and April, due to factors like non- availability of EVMs and the second wave of the coronavirus, all panchayats are being run through advisory committees.
Bihar state election commission has got the approval of Election Commission of India (ECI) to use single post EVMs (M2 model) for the poll-exercise. The M1 and M2 are the older models. They are less sophisticated than the latest M3 model.
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SEC secretary Yogendra Ram said, “By our estimate, 850,000 EVMs will be required. The assessment of requirement of EVMs based on the number of booths in each district is being done. Once it is done, we will send our people to get the EVMs from different states across India. It will be completed in the next few months.”
State poll officials said that the panchayat polls will likely begin from October after the end of the rainy season in September. Another SEC officer, seeking anonymity, said, “We are keen to complete the poll exercise by November or early December so that all rural local bodies are constituted, preventing further legal or constitutional complications.”
There is a possibility of a third wave of coronavirus in the coming months. This has the potential to impede poll preparations.
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The use of single post EVMs or the M2 model instead of multi post EVMs also presents certain challenges. They require large space inside the booths to keep the voting machines and need a longer time taken to cast each vote.
Another poll body official said, “Six EVMs and six control units have to be placed in each booth on an average. If the candidates are more than 15, two sets of EVMs have to be used. This will consume large space in polling stations. Besides, voters would take at least two to three minutes to cast each vote. In that case, the voting percentage will be less because large crowds will not be allowed to gather at booths due to Covid-19 containment protocols.”
However, SEC officials added that preparations were in full swing and all logistical problems will be sorted out in time. There is a chance that the panchayat elections could be held in more than 10 phases. This can happen if the poll panel does not get as many EVMs as required, said the secretary, SEC.
