The Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Elections have sparked a new controversy after the Election Commission announced that Printing Auxiliary Display Units (PADUs) will be used as a backup during counting if any technical issues arise with the EVMs on January 16. Officials explained that under the standard procedure, votes recorded in the Electronic Voting Machine are counted by connecting the Control Unit to the Ballot Unit. However, if technical glitches continue even after both units are linked, PADUs will be used to complete the counting process. Notably, this is the first time that PADUs will serve as a backup to ensure uninterrupted counting in municipal corporation elections. The Election Commission maintained that the purpose of PADUs is to guarantee that the counting of votes is completed without delay during any emergency situation.
Thackerays objects to EC's new rules
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray strongly opposed the Election Commission's decision, alleging that the rules were being changed in the middle of the process. "Our allegation against the Election Commission is that until now campaigning would completely stop once the campaign period ended. But the Election Commission has started a new practice. Why was this not done in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections? The Election Commission has said that you can meet voters but cannot distribute pamphlets. This means they must be suggesting that you can distribute money. The question is why was the law changed now? Why is this being done?" he added.
He also questioned the introduction of PADU machines without demonstrating them to political parties. "This new machine has been brought in. Why was it not shown to political parties and why was it not explained to the public?" he asked.
Uddhav Thackeray writes to EC, raises concerns
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also raised objections and wrote a letter to the Election Commission, alleging that it was acting in favour of the government. "What is the guarantee that there will be no malfunction in this machine? The Election Commission is working to help the government win the election. This is our allegation," he said. He also appealed to party workers to stay alert and keep a close watch on candidates of the ruling alliance, claiming they might attempt to distribute money to influence voters.
EC permits door-to-door campaigning without pamphlets
In a late development, the Election Commission permitted candidates to meet voters door-to-door till 5 pm on Wednesday (January 14). However, candidates are strictly prohibited from distributing pamphlets during this period, a rule that has drawn further criticism from political parties questioning the timing of the relaxation. Polling for the 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards will begin at 7.30 am and conclude at 5.30 pm on January 15. A total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,700 in Mumbai and 1,166 in Pune. Counting of votes will take place on January 16.
