New Delhi: Shortages in semiconductors and chips needed to manufacture electronic voting machines (EVMs) mean that up to a year’s time is needed to be ready for simultaneous polls, sources told the Indian Express.A source told the Express that the election commission (EC) felt that a “definite lead time of up to a year would be required for ramping up the voting machine production lines” given the current commitments of government manufacturers.They added that the “shortage of semiconductors, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, has further messed up the timelines for EVM procurement”.Semiconductors and chips are also required to produce voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines, which make up part of a voting machine.According to the Express, the EC told a parliamentary standing committee earlier this year that it was unable to use more than 80% of its budget for procuring EVMs due to semiconductor shortages.The EC reportedly raised the shortages issue to the eight-member panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind that is tasked with examining the feasibility of simultaneous parliamentary and assembly elections.This panel was formed by the Union government last month.The latter as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi have endorsed the idea of having simultaneous elections. This idea is also referred to as ‘one nation, one election’.The 22nd Law Commission is also examining the feasibility of ‘one nation, one election’ and is likely to frame tentative timelines for simultaneous elections in 2024 and 2029, the Express reported.Also Read: One Nation, One Election, One Leader, One Faith, One Business HouseIt may suggest having some assembly elections along with next year’s Lok Sabha election and ultimately all assembly elections with the 2029 Lok Sabha election, its report continued to say.Its predecessor (the 21st Law Commission) took a gander at the issue of simultaneous polls in 2018 but last-minute disagreements resulted in its releasing a draft report rather than a final report, ThePrint reported.It supported holding simultaneous elections on the grounds that doing so will save public money, reduce the burden on administrative machinery and ensure better implementation of government policy.But it acknowledged that holding simultaneous elections was “not possible within the existing framework of the constitution” and that constitutional amendments would be inevitable for the idea to bear fruit.“In view of the complexity of the issues involved, it is desirable to have further discussions and examination on the matter, involving all the stakeholders, once again, before making final recommendations to the government,” it said in its draft report.However, its term ended before a final recommendation could be made to the government.Additional costs of Rs 5,200 crore and Rs 8,000 crore will have to be met in order to arrange for the increased number of voting machines required to hold simultaneous elections in 2024 and 2029 respectively, the Express reported citing EC estimates given to the law commission.It said this was also factoring in the projected increase in the country’s population by 2029.The number of polling stations across India will also increase – from 11.8 lakh in 2014 to 13.57 lakh in 2029, its report said.
