Madhya Pradesh Pioneers India's First Paperless Voting

Madhya Pradesh state election commission has initiated the first paperless voting in India, piloted in Bhopal. The project promises efficient, accurate, and transparent elections with reduced human resources and errors.

In a groundbreaking initiative, the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission has successfully executed the country's first paperless voting process in Bhopal. This pilot project was conducted during the Panchayat by-election at polling station-295 in Ratua Ratanpur village, Berasia tehsil, on Wednesday, September 12.

Providing insights into the procedure, Secretary of the State Election Commission, Abhishek Singh, explained that while voting was previously conducted via electronic voting machines (EVMs), the remaining processes were manual, cumbersome, and prone to errors. 'When we computerized it, it generated real-time, accurate data with fewer human resources, maintaining transparency and ensuring smoother elections,' he said.

In this initiative, thumb impressions and electronic signatures were employed for voter identification, ensuring that only the registered voter could cast their vote. Singh announced plans to expand paperless voting gradually, aiming for full implementation within a few years statewide. 'It is an evolving process, and we have successfully conducted it for the first time,' he added.

(With inputs from agencies.)