New Delhi/Patna: The Election Commission of India has unveiled a significant change ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections: Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will now carry colour photographs of candidates alongside their names and party symbols. Until now, the ballot paper on EVMs displayed only black-and-white images.
The move is aimed at avoiding confusion among voters, particularly in cases where multiple candidates share the same name. The Commission noted that in past elections, people had sometimes mistakenly cast their votes for the wrong candidate. “The use of colour photographs will ensure voters can identify their preferred candidate by face, name and symbol,” the notification stated.
Under the new design, each EVM ballot paper will feature a colour photograph where the candidate’s face occupies three-quarters of the image space. Candidates’ names and the NOTA option will be printed in bold, uniform font size 30, to ensure readability. The ballot paper will now be printed on special pink paper with 70 GSM thickness.
The Commission clarified that the reform will first be implemented in Bihar and subsequently rolled out in elections across the country. Bihar, which has 243 assembly seats, is set to go to the polls soon. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list has been completed, with the final roll to be published on September 30. Election dates are expected to be announced shortly thereafter.
EVMs have been in use since the 2004 Lok Sabha elections across all constituencies in India. With this latest update, the Commission hopes to further strengthen the transparency and accessibility of the voting process.
