New Delhi, February 23 The Election Commission will discuss sharing technology with state election panels, responsible for holding municipal and panchayat elections in states, at a conference here on Tuesday.
The conference is being held after a gap of 27 years. The last such conference was held in 1999. State Election Commissioners from all states and Union Territories, along with their legal and technical experts, will participate.
At the round table conference with the state election commissions, the poll authority said, "discussions will focus on sharing of technology, EVMs, and electoral rolls, as well as strengthening of electoral processes."
State election panels use the Election Commission's electoral rolls, used for assembly elections, and employ them according to their requirements for holding local body elections.
The lifespan of an EVM is 15 years, and machines at the end of their life cycle are usually given to state election panels for holding local elections.
The Election Commission currently uses 'M3' or Mark III type of EVMs for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
The Election Commission does not charge states for using their EVMs. Once an EVM leaves the Election Commission's custody, it is no longer referred to as an ECI-EVM.
Machines that complete their life cycle are destroyed under security.
The Union law ministry is provided funds in the Union budget to help the Election Commission purchase the required EVMs from Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) – the two PSUs that manufacture the voting machines.
The Election Commission will also offer to help state election commissions develop technology platforms similar to ECINET, as well as training support for their officials in election management.
Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 36 states and Union Territories will also attend the event, the EC said.
"The primary objective of the round table conference is to foster synergies in the functioning of the Election Commission and State Election Commissions with respect to electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks," the EC had earlier said.