ECI plans to buy 3.57 lakh ballot units (BUs) and 1.25 lakh control units (CUs) at an estimated cost of over ₹500 crore and has moved a proposal to the Centre for the same, citing requirements for a ‘smooth and seamless’ conduct of ‘Lok Sabha/assembly elections due in 2029’, ET has learnt.
Also Read: One Nation, One Election: Simultaneous polls may need ₹5,300 crore in expenditure, over 1 crore EVM units
Production and supply of machines are likely to be completed by March 2027 after quality checks.
ET gathers that the expenditure department has already approved about ₹512.4 crore for the purchase, fixing the price of a ballot unit at ₹8,577, about 6% lower than in 2024, while a control unit will cost ₹9,737, around 7% less than the previous procurement price.
EVM Tally
ECI has about 30.77 lakh BUs, 22.14 lakh CUs (BU and CU together make EVM) and nearly 24 lakh VVPATs – with several of the 2013-14 machines to retire by 2029.
Another key reason for the purchase: The number of polling stations will go up with the new 1,200 voters per booth norm instead of the earlier 1,500 voter per booth rule.This shift means that the total number of polling booths will increase from 10.53 lakh in 2024 to an estimated 15.39 lakh for the general elections and concurrent assembly elections of 2029 in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir.
After the retirement of machines of 2013-14 batch, the available stock would fall short by 3.57 lakh ballot units and 1.25 lakh control units.
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The poll panel has factored in machines required for election petitions and maintenance of the due national reserve. ECI typically accounts for two sets of EVMs for each polling station. That apart, nearly 70% BUs, 25% CUs and 35% VVPATs are kept as reserve in case of any defect at the stage of first-level checking.
With the national reserve and election petition requirements in mind, ECI would need 30.48 lakh BUs and 21.92 lakh CUs. The fresh procurement, therefore, essentially aims to address this shortfall.
SIMULTANEOUS Election PLAN
The 3.57 lakh ballot units and 1.25 lakh control units purchase order, however, is significantly lower than what the commission would require in case of simultaneous elections, as envisaged by the ruling dispensation.
ECI’s mid-2025 assessments indicated that nearly 48 lakh BUs, 35 lakh CUsand 34 lakh VVPATs would be needed for simultaneous elections in 2029 – involving an expenditure of over ₹5,300 crore, ET has earlier reported.
With the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, on ‘one nation, one election’ envisaging a 2034 timeline for simultaneous polls, this amount is likely to swell considerably. The bill is currently being examined by a parliamentary standing committee.
