<p>Mumbai: Mumbai is set to make history with the introduction of Printing Auxiliary Display Units (PADU) in the upcoming elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).</p><p>These machines will serve as a backup in case of any technical issues during the vote-counting process.</p>.Bombay High Court pulls up BMC chief for requisitioning court staff for election duty.<p>The BMC has received 140 such units, which have been developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru. </p><p>“These PADU units are acting as a back-up. In case of any emergency situation or technical error in connecting the voting units to the control unit, PADU will be used as a back-up unit,” said BMC Commissioner & Administrator Bhushan Gagrani.</p><p>However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in a letter to Maharashtra’s State Election Commissioner, has objected to the use of PADU. </p>.<p>“PADU doesn’t have any sanction whatsoever, by way of the State Election Commission guidelines or orders. This is yet another attempt to vote chori. We were given to understand that the use of a new machine, PADU, will be used in the event of the EVM’s Display Unit failing. This PADU machine will then display the result,” the AAP said. </p><p>"Also, we may point out that EVMs- CUs and BUs have rigorous randomization and checking protocols mandated by the State Election Commission, 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 State Election Commission. 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 President Preeti Sharma Menon. </p><p>“First of all, the SEC is not using VVPAT machines for BMC elections, despite BMC not having multi member wards and only single member wards. There is no such limitation in BMC, as there is in multi-member wards for use of VVPAT,” he said.</p><p>We urge the election commission to order the BMC commissioner to not use any machine like the PADU, which is not sanctioned by SEC orders ,no matter how low the probability of the occurrence of the event that mandates its use. It is the constitutional mandate of the SEC to conduct free and fair polls and the SEC must uphold its constitutional mandate.”, said AAP's Mumbai Working President Ruben Mascarenhas.</p>
<p>Mumbai: Mumbai is set to make history with the introduction of Printing Auxiliary Display Units (PADU) in the upcoming elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).</p><p>These machines will serve as a backup in case of any technical issues during the vote-counting process.</p>.Bombay High Court pulls up BMC chief for requisitioning court staff for election duty.<p>The BMC has received 140 such units, which have been developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru. </p><p>“These PADU units are acting as a back-up. In case of any emergency situation or technical error in connecting the voting units to the control unit, PADU will be used as a back-up unit,” said BMC Commissioner & Administrator Bhushan Gagrani.</p><p>However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in a letter to Maharashtra’s State Election Commissioner, has objected to the use of PADU. </p>.<p>“PADU doesn’t have any sanction whatsoever, by way of the State Election Commission guidelines or orders. This is yet another attempt to vote chori. We were given to understand that the use of a new machine, PADU, will be used in the event of the EVM’s Display Unit failing. This PADU machine will then display the result,” the AAP said. </p><p>"Also, we may point out that EVMs- CUs and BUs have rigorous randomization and checking protocols mandated by the State Election Commission, 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 State Election Commission. 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 President Preeti Sharma Menon. </p><p>“First of all, the SEC is not using VVPAT machines for BMC elections, despite BMC not having multi member wards and only single member wards. There is no such limitation in BMC, as there is in multi-member wards for use of VVPAT,” he said.</p><p>We urge the election commission to order the BMC commissioner to not use any machine like the PADU, which is not sanctioned by SEC orders ,no matter how low the probability of the occurrence of the event that mandates its use. It is the constitutional mandate of the SEC to conduct free and fair polls and the SEC must uphold its constitutional mandate.”, said AAP's Mumbai Working President Ruben Mascarenhas.</p>