The Election Commission of India on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines for printing of the ballot papers and EVM symbols while declaring that upgraded EVMs will be put to use in the Bihar assembly elections this year. The poll body issued new guidelines related to the design and printing of EVM ballot papers ahead of the crucial assembly elections. The existing guidelines have been revised 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, said the poll body.
What Are The New Guidelines?
According to the Election Commission of India, the initiative is in line with the 28 initiatives already taken by the ECI in the past 6 months to streamline and improve election processes and enhance convenience for voters.
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“Photographs of candidates will be printed in colour on the EVM Ballot Paper. The candidate’s face 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 Poll body further said that 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.
“The EVM Ballot Papers will be printed on 70 GSM paper. For Assembly Elections, pink-coloured paper of specified RGB values shall be used. The upgraded EVM Ballot Papers will be used in the upcoming elections, starting with Bihar,” it said.
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Reform Post SIR
The poll reforms comes after the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. The voter list revision by the ECI has sparked a political storm in Bihar with opposition parties claiming it to be an attempt by the ruling BJP to remove voters who favour opposition parties. Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav and Mahua Moitra criticised the EC for conducting the SIR in a haste just before the polls.