Voting machines should be prepared after preliminary inspection: Maha SEC

Mumbai, July 11 (IANS) Maharashtra State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Friday directed that all necessary preparations should be made for the upcoming municipal elections and that the electronic voting machines should be inspected and made ready for voting.

He was speaking at the meeting held through video conference with the Divisional Commissioners and the Municipal Commissioners regarding the preliminary preparations for the upcoming municipal elections.

Waghmare said that there is a need to be vigilant about the preparations for the elections of all 29 Municipal Corporations in the state from now on. This will avoid the rush at the last minute.

“The availability of voters, voting centres, available electronic voting machines, and available manpower should be taken into account at all levels. After the preliminary inspection of the voting machines, the required number can be estimated. Regarding manpower, the Divisional Commissioners should take the role of coordinator and review it with all the Municipal Commissioners from time to time. If we coordinate with all the concerned and prepare in a planned manner, it will be easy for us to conduct these elections in a free, fearless and transparent environment,” he added.

State Election Commission secretary Suresh Kakani said that the exact number of polling stations can be determined by keeping in mind the number of voters. Based on that, further planning will be easy. Once the exact estimate of polling stations is available, planning can also be done regarding the requirement of electronic voting machines. Manpower will also be estimated, he added.

Earlier, Waghmare on Thursday instructed that the voter list for the legislative assembly, with names registered as of July 1, 2025, will be used for these elections, and preparations should align accordingly. This is because the preparations for the upcoming local body elections are underway, considering the number of voters, polling stations, available electronic voting machines (EVMs) and manpower.

Waghmare chaired a video conference with district collectors to discuss preliminary preparations for the elections to Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, Municipal Councils, and Nagar Panchayats.

He stated that if a separate voter list is not prepared for local body elections; instead, the voter list prepared by the Election Commission of India is used. Preliminary discussions with the Election Commission of India have confirmed the availability of the voter list as of July 1, 2025.

--IANS

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