The Uttar Pradesh SEC today urged the Election Commission to allow it to hold elections to the posts of mayor and corporators of various civic bodies in the state using the traditional paper ballots if it could not provide EVMs in "good working condition".
"I had a word with Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and requested him that the EC must provide latest EVMs which are in good working condition. Else, it should allow us to conduct the urban local bodies polls using paper ballots," State Election Commissioner SK Agarwal was quoted as saying by the PTI.
During the 2012 elections to the urban local bodies, the EVMs provided by the EC were made in 2006 and were not suited as per the requirements, he added.
The poll process for the urban local bodies across the state will have to be completed by the second week of July, Agarwal said, adding that the State Election Commission was currently working on delimitation of wards on a war footing.
Some political parties, including the Congress, have raised the issue of reliability of EVMs in the aftermath of recently-held Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh.
In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also demanded that the upcoming MCD elections should be held on ballot papers. He welcomed the UP SEC's decision and said, "I am glad UP state election commission has taken a stand. I wish Delhi state election commission also had similar spine."
(With PTI inputs)
