Bhangar Assembly to use 2 evms per booth as candidate count hits 19, EC calls it 'rare arrangement'

Bhangar Assembly constituency is set to witness a rare and unusual electoral arrangement as the Election Commission has decided to deploy two Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at every polling station. The decision has been taken due to an exceptionally high number of candidates contesting from the seat, making it impossible to accommodate all names and symbols on a single machine under existing technical limits.

According to election norms, a standard EVM contains 16 buttons, of which 15 are allocated to candidates and one to NOTA (None of the Above). In Bhangar, however, a total of 19 candidates are in the fray, including nominees from recognised political parties as well as a large number of independent candidates. This has exceeded the capacity of a single EVM unit, prompting the special arrangement.

To resolve the issue, the Election Commission has decided to link two EVMs at each polling booth in the constituency. This ensures that all candidates can be included on the ballot units without compromising the voting process. The administration has also begun preparations to train polling personnel for handling the dual-machine system smoothly on election day.

Officials have described the move as a rare but necessary step to ensure fairness and technical compliance in voting. While similar arrangements have been seen in select parliamentary constituencies in past elections, this is the first instance in the current Assembly election cycle where such a system is being implemented exclusively in a single constituency.

The Election Commission has stated that the arrangement is aimed at maintaining transparency and preventing any voter confusion during polling. With Bhangar emerging as the only constituency in the state requiring two EVMs per booth, it has now become one of the most closely watched seats in the ongoing election process.