BMC Elections 2026: Opposition cries foul over use of Printing Auxiliary Display Units

Amid the controversy, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani clarified that these would be used only as back-ups.

Mumbai: The deployment of Printing Auxiliary Display Units (PADU) in Mumbai has sparked of a controversy with opposition parties including the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Raj Thackeray-headed MNS and Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP slamming the State Election Commission (SEC) and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The BMC has received 140 PADU units, which have been developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru. 

Among the 29 municipal corporations, PADU machines  will be used only in Mumbai. 

Amid the controversy, BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who is also the state government-appointed Administrator, clarified that these would be used only as back-ups.

Talking to reporters, Gagrani displayed the machine. “A total of 140 PADU units have been sent, and Regional Officers (ROs) will manage them. This is the first time PADU machines will be used in the elections, though they will be rarely needed,” he said and clarified that the machines will not be used in Mumbai throughout the elections and will be used only if the necessary situation arises.

“The PADU machines will be attached to the EVMs. The control unit and the ballot unit of the EVMs are connected to the machine. The device is a backup if the display unit of the EVMs shut down,” said Gagrani.

“The counting process will then be carried out using the PADU as it is also a control unit. The device will display the information of the EVM on a larger display. The device is not a paper receipt machine like the VVPAT," Gagrani added.

The Thackeray cousins - Uddhav and Raj, who are contesting the Mumbai polls in alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) Uddhav has written a letter to the SEC seeking a clarification on the use of PADU machines. 

Accompanied by Uddhav, Raj questioned how come such machines be used without any announcement or briefing. “The Election Commission has now brought a new machine called PADU…Why was no information given earlier about connecting the new machine to the EVM?” he asked, adding, “What is going on?, What kind of democracy is this?”

Raj also questioned the SEC's decision to allow door-to-door campaigning even after the official campaign period had ended. “How come this is possible,” he said.

“In previous elections, there was a one-day period after the campaign. Until now, there was no campaign on the day before voting. This practice has been broken,” the MNS chief said. 

"Also, we may point out that EVMs- CUs and BUs have rigorous randomisation and checking protocols mandated by the SEC, in which party representatives also participate. But there is no such protocol for these PADU machines. How then can we be certain that these PADU machines are displaying the actual result and are not tampering with it? However low the probability of the malfunction of the EVM’s display unit, we would like to point out that the use of PADU, is without the sanction of the SEC. This is bizzare! SEC should withdraw the use of these machines with immediate effect. If EVMs malfunction, the election is null and void,” said AAP's Mumbai unit chief Preeti Sharma Menon.