Thu Jan 23 18:27:05 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu to Use EVMs in Rural Local Body Elections
**Chennai, January 24, 2025** – Voters in 28 Tamil Nadu districts will elect their local body representatives using electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the first time. The move, announced by the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC), will affect the upcoming elections for ward members and panchayat presidents. The term of current representatives in these districts expired on January 5th, 2025, and the elections will see the selection of approximately 91,975 representatives.
The TNSEC plans a phased rollout of EVMs for rural local body (RLB) elections. While voters are familiar with EVMs from state and central elections, the three-tier RLB system requires a specialized EVM configuration with multiple ballot units to accommodate the various posts. A successful pilot program using customized EVMs was conducted in 2019.
A demonstration of the newly designed EVMs, created by Bharat Electronics Ltd., was held on Thursday. Funding for the procurement of these specialized machines has been allocated, and the purchase will follow standard procedures. The remaining nine districts will continue using traditional voting methods until their term expires in October 2026.
First Piper 