The Election Commission on Wednesday announced major changes in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) ballot papers that will be used for the Bihar Assembly polls. The Commission announced that the candidate's photograph will be given prominence in the ballot papers, and it will be printed in colour.
Announcing the new changes in EVM ballot papers, the poll body said in a statement, "The Election Commission of India has revised the existing guidelines under Rule 49B of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, for the design and printing of EVM Ballot Papers to enhance their clarity and readability. The initiative is in line with the 28 initiatives already taken by the ECI in the past six months to streamline and improve election processes and enhance convenience for voters."
The Commission's move for Bihar polls comes amid rampant allegations from the Opposition that the poll body was working in favour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Opposition leader in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also took out a major yatra in Bihar against the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll underway in Bihar.
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As part of the new changes, the Commission said candidates' photographs will be printed in colour, and it will occupy three-fourths of the photo space for better visibility. "Serial numbers of candidates/NOTA will be printed in the international form of Indian numerals. The font size will be 30 and in bold for clarity," it said.
The Commission said the updated ballot papers will be printed on 70 GSM paper, and to ensure uniformity, the names of all candidates/NOTA will be printed in the same font type and font size, large enough for easy readability.