Considering the prevailing global economic recession, the government has decided to postponed purchasing two lakh Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) worth around Tk 9,000.
The government informed the matter to the Election Commission (EC) authorities through the Planning Commission.
The officials of the EC on Monday disclosed the government decision as saying that the government has decided to put on hold the plan for purchasing EVMs for the next national polls.
Talking to journalist at a press conference held at the EC building at the capital’s Agargaon Monday afternoon, Election Commission (EC) Secretary Md Jahangir Alam said that the project has been dropped due to the ongoing global economic recession.
According to EC Secretary Md Jahangir Alam, the EVM project is unattainable due to the existing financial crisis of the commission.
He said, "The commission can afford to arrange electronic voting for only 50 to 70 seats with the funds available in hand."
Earlier on 19 September last year, the Election Commission (EC) approved a Tk 8,711 crore project to procure Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for 150 constituencies, out of 300, for the 12th parliamentary election.
On 23 August the EC decided to use electronic voting machines instead of traditional ballot papers in maximum of 150 constituencies in the next general election – likely to be held early next year.
The decision received strong opposition from the BNP and its allies, who didn't join the talks with the CEC that continued throughout the month of July.
However, the ruling Awami League welcomed the decision as it was their demand to use EVMs in all 300 seats in the next election.
It should be mentioned that the next 12th national elections likely to be held in early January 2024, the EVM issue came to the attention especially after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at an AL meeting on May 7 said voting machines would be used in all 300 constituencies.
The EC forwarded the DPP against the backdrop of its decision to hold the next elections using EVMs at a maximum of 150 seats.
The EC currently has around 1.5 lakh EVMs and with that they can hold elections to 70 or 80 seats.
Introduced in 2010, EVMs were used in various local government elections. The then Election Commission led by ATM Shamsul Huda had used them in the city corporation polls but not in any parliamentary election.
In 2012, the EC headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad also kept EVMs out of national polls.
The Nurul Huda-led commission overhauled the EVM system and used it for polling in six constituencies during the 2018 December national election.