By Admin 
The Election Commission has already started preparations for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. For this, the Commission has demanded more than Rs 500 crore from the Central Government for the purchase of new Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The main reason for this is the increasing number of polling stations and completion of the time period of old machines.
According to the report, there were about 10.53 lakh polling stations in the country in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. By the year 2029, their number is expected to increase to around 15.39 lakh. In view of the increase of about 46 percent in polling stations, the Election Commission is feeling the need of additional EVMs. The commission plans to purchase about 3.57 lakh ballot units (BU) and 1.25 lakh control units (CU). The total expenditure on the purchase of these machines is estimated to be more than Rs 500 crore. It has been told that the Expenditure Department has also approved about Rs 512.4 crore for this purchase. At present about 30.77 lakh ballot units and 22.14 lakh control units are available with the Election Commission.
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| Description | Ballot Unit (BU) | Control Unit (CU) |
| Requirement for 15.39 lakh polling stations | 26,31,068 | 19,23,295 |
| Total Requirement (including National Reserve) | 30,48,039 | 21,92,557 |
| Currently Available Machines | 30,78,000 | 22,14,000 |
| Less: Machines that have completed their service period for 2013-14. | 3,57,000 | 1,25,000 |
| net availability | 27,21,000 | 20,89,000 |
| Shortfall | 3,27,039 | 1,03,557 |
Increasing need of EVM
Many machines purchased in 2013-14 will complete their scheduled service life of 15 years by 2029. Due to this, about 3.57 lakh ballot units and 1.25 lakh control units will not be available. According to Election Commission data, 26.31 lakh ballot units and 19.23 lakh control units will be required for 15.39 lakh polling stations. Adding the national reserve and other requirements, the total demand will increase to 30.48 lakh ballot units and 21.92 lakh control units. Even after this, there may be a shortage of about 3.27 lakh ballot units and 1.03 lakh control units.
EVM demand will increase
The report also says that if the ‘One Nation, One Election’ scheme is implemented in future, the demand for EVMs may increase further. It is estimated that in case of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, about 48 lakh ballot units, 35 lakh control units and 34 lakh VVPAT machines will be required. Due to this the expenditure can reach more than Rs 5,300 crore. The Election Commission aims to complete the manufacturing and supply of new machines by March 2027, so that there is no problem in the preparations for the 2029 elections.
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