New Delhi. If Lok Sabha and state assembly elections are held simultaneously, then every 15 years Rs 10,000 crore will be spent on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In fact, in January last, the Election Commission had said that if elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies are held simultaneously, then the commission will need Rs 10,000 crore every 15 years to buy new EVMs.
The commission had said that the shelf life of EVMs is only 15 years. If simultaneous elections are held, one set of machines can be used for conducting elections three times, but separate machines will be installed for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. Control Unit (CU), Ballot Unit (BU) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will have to be kept in reserve to replace the defective machines on the day of polling.
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36 lakh 62 thousand 600 VVPATs are needed to conduct One Nation One Election.
In February 2023, the Election Commission had said that at least 46 lakh 75 thousand 100 ballot units, 33 lakh 63 thousand 300 control units and 36 lakh 62 thousand 600 VVPATs would be needed to conduct simultaneous elections.
Tentative cost of an EVM is around Rs 34 thousand
According to the Election Commission, the tentative cost of an EVM in early 2023 was around Rs 34 thousand. This included Rs 7,900 per ballot unit, Rs 9,800 per control unit and Rs 16,000 per VVPAT.
