The Election Commission (EC) plans to use Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in upcoming Rangpur city polls.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) designed the EVM in 2010. But use of these machines remains suspended since 2012.
According to the plan, voting machine will be used at a smaller scale during the December 21 city corporation elections in Rangpur.
“If everything goes right, we will try using EVMs at a smaller scale. New machines will be used,” said Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Sunday.
Alluding to the faults found in the past, he said, “We will keep that in mind. We will use EVMs for flawless results and refrain from using them in cases where faults are still present.”
EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said the old machines will be used in Rangpur, but only those which are still functioning properly.
The commission will destroy the rest, he said. “Closed circuit cameras will be placed inside prominent polling centres and EVMs will be used inside one.”
According to a bdnews24.com report, the returning officer in Rangpur, Subhash Chandra Sarker, did not get any directive from the Election Commission on EVMs.
EVMs were first used at the 2010 Chittagong city polls and subsequently at city polls in Narayanganj, Narsingdi and Comilla.
But in 2012, the usage was halted for reported technical glitches. The matter led to strife between BUET and Election Commission.
The EC started producing EVMs on its own last year. The newly made items use biometric identification—fingerprints and national ID numbers of voters to prevent vote rigging.
The ruling Awami League has encouraged the usage of EVMs, while the BNP opposes it. The 40 registered political parties have differing views.