CEC says EVMs will be ready for Lok Sabha polls

New Delhi: The election commission (EC) was capable of holding the Lok Sabha elections and polls to four state Assemblies together in December if the parliamentary elections are advanced, said the chief election commissioner O.P. Rawat.

When asked whether the EC was ready if the LS elections are held in December along with Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan, he said, “Why not? There would not be any problem.” There have been speculations in some circles that the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for April-May 2019, may be advanced to November-December 2018, so that they can be held simultaneously with Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan.

While the term of the Mizoram Assembly will end on December 15, the terms of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assemblies would end on January 5, January 7 and January 20,  of 2019, respectively.

Asked whether the required electronic voting machines (EVMs) and paper trail machines would be ready if the LS polls are held in December along with those of four assemblies, the CEC said while all the required EVMs would be in place by September end, paper trail machines would come in November end.

The CEC explained that out of 17.5 lakh paper trail machines, 16 lakh would be in place before November.