The fate of the Electronic Voting Machines hangs in the balance as the related project ends in June, with no sign of the Election Commission initiating any new project or plan for the maintenance and storage of the existing machines so far.
Electronic voting machines, first introduced in 2011 in Bangladesh, and touted as a great tool for voters to exercise their franchise, were adopted on a large scale for voting in six constituencies in 2018.
The Election Commission sent a development project proposal with a cost of Tk 8,711 crore for purchasing two lakh electronic voting machines and their management, without conducting a feasibility study.
EVM - electronic voting machines: At least 27,900 EVMs worth around Tk 642 crore have become unusable for a lack of proper storage facility and maintenance, show Election Commission documents.