een casting her vote at Shahnuri Model High School in Dhaka's Moghbazar area on Sunday, December 30, 2018 Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

Ballot papers will be used in all 300 constituencies of the country during the upcoming 12th general elections, according to a recent decision taken by the Election Commission. 

This comes as the commission decided against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). 

The decision was announced by Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam after a meeting held on Monday.

Collected

Initially, the commission had planned to use EVMs in a maximum of 150 constituencies. 

However, the request made by the EC to the finance ministry for Tk1,240 crore for EVM repair, led to uncertainty regarding the availability of funds. 

As a result, the commission decided to opt for the use of transparent ballot papers in all 300 seats to ensure a fair election, said the election commissioner.

The Election Commission's plan to purchase around 200,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for use in 150 constituencies has been rejected by the Planning Commission due to a budget shortage. The Election Commission had submitted the project proposal on October 19, citing that the number of EVMs currently owned by the commission could only be used in 70 to 75 constituencies.

However, on September 6, a group of 39 notable citizens raised questions about the decision to use EVMs in the forthcoming national election, citing the ongoing economic crisis and the cost of importing the devices.

The use of EVMs in elections has been a topic of debate in Bangladesh, with some political parties expressing concerns about the potential for vote manipulation and technical glitches. The Election Commission has maintained that EVMs are secure and will reduce the time required to count votes, resulting in a more efficient and transparent electoral process.