Maharashtra civic polls: SEC wraps up with ‘surprises’ on campaign extension, vote display machine

The Opposition, which has alleged several discrepancies in the polls, has questioned the SEC decisions.

The SEC had earlier announced that campaigning for the BMC polls would conclude at 5.30 pm on January 13, or two days before polling, as is normally the case. But later, the SEC allowed candidates to continue door-to-door visits, and this can now happen even while voting is in process on January 15, with the candidates barred only from “displaying party colours”.

Asked about the move at a press conference, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare cited a February 2012 order of the SEC, which allowed door-to-door visits after the end of public campaigning, and said that public campaigning remains banned now as well.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray said, “In all elections until now, there is no campaigning on the day before voting. This tradition has been broken. The SEC is working as per the government’s wishes?”

Thackeray demanded that Waghmare address their concerns regarding the issue, and appealed to all MNS office-bearers to stay “vigilant” in their respective areas to prevent “the distribution of money”.

The Opposition’s allegations regarding the extension of campaign period come against the backdrop of reports of scuffles between political workers, and circulation of video clips purportedly showing money being distributed in different parts of Maharashtra, including Vasai, Dombivli, Thane, Chembur in Mumbai, as well as Panvel, Akola, Nagpur, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad.

When asked about these at the press conference, Waghmare said the SEC would take action if a complaint was filed.

The Opposition has also raised concerns over the introduction of ‘PADU (Printing Auxiliary Display Unit)’ machines, to be deployed if an EVM display “failed”. The Opposition has asked why it was not told about this or given a demonstration regarding it.

“Why was no information given earlier about connecting a new machine to the EVMs?” Thackeray asked, raising the prospect of “tampering”. “What kind of anarchy is this? Is this democracy?” he said, adding that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party is contesting the elections in alliance with the MNS, has written to the SEC on the matter.

In a post on X, the Aam Aadmi Party called the deployment of PADUs a “new attempt at Vote Chori”, and “bizarre”. “PADU doesn’t have (the) sanction of the SEC, PADU hasn’t gone through randomization and other checks like EVMs… How then can we be certain that these PADU machines are displaying the actual result and not tampering with it?”

The BMC has said the PADU machines would only be used in cases of emergency, and only as a backup.

On Wednesday evening, the SEC said 140 PADUs had been made available to the BMC and those would be used only in the presence of technicians of the manufacturer Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The SEC also said that, on its instruction, the BMC had demonstrated PADU machines at a press conference held on Tuesday.

Sources told The Indian Express that PADU machines were earlier manufactured by BEL and ECIL for the ECI, but have not been in use for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections since the ECI moved to M3-model EVMs starting 2013-2014.

Even when PADU was in use by the ECI, it was only meant to be deployed in case the display on the Control Unit of the EVM stopped working. With increased reliability of M3 machines and later the use of VVPATs, the PADU is no longer used, officials said, adding that in case there is any issue with the Control Unit of the EVM, VVPAT slips can be counted.

Some SECs, however, do continue to keep PADU as a back-up since they don’t have M3 machines and VVPATs.