Coloured Photos, Bigger Serials on EVMs: Poll Body’s New Rules To Debut In Bihar Elections
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced significant changes to the layout of EVM ballot papers, introducing coloured photographs of candidates and more prominent serial numbers to enhance voter clarity and confidence . These new voter-friendly measures will be rolled out for the first time in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections .
Under the revised guidelines, candidates’ photographs will now be printed in colour and occupy three-fourths of the allotted space, a substantial change from the previous black-and-white or no-photo versions . This is intended to help voters more easily identify the candidates they wish to support. Additionally, the serial numbers of candidates on the ballot paper will be printed in a larger, bolder font to improve visibility and reduce confusion at polling stations .
The poll body stated that this initiative is one of 28 measures undertaken in the last six months to streamline the election process and improve voter convenience . The changes aim to make the ballot papers more intuitive and reduce errors, thereby strengthening the integrity of the voting process.
However, the introduction of these new EVM features in Bihar comes amidst a significant political controversy surrounding the state’s electoral roll revision. The ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which saw the deletion of 65 lakh names from the draft list published in August, has been challenged in the Supreme Court by opposition parties .
They allege that lakhs of genuine voters are being struck off the rolls without proper verification. The Supreme Court has taken a stern view, stating on Tuesday that it would cancel the entire revision process if any illegality is found in the ECI’s methodology. The top court is set to hear final arguments on the validity of the SIR exercise on October 7 .
