Overview
- The Supreme Court rejected a petition on Monday and refused to stop Punjab’s municipal elections from going ahead with ballot papers, saying it was too late to alter arrangements set for the vote.
- Polling for 104 municipal bodies, including eight municipal corporations, is scheduled for May 26 with counting set for May 29 under the State Election Commission’s ballot-paper plan.
- The bench stressed that the 1994 Punjab municipal rules still permit ballot papers and that the State Election Commission has statutory discretion to choose the voting method.
- The Election Commission of India told the court it lends EVMs on advance requisition, that requisitions are normally months ahead, and that officials need about three days to test machines and train staff.
- Petitioners relied on the 2024 ADR Supreme Court finding that reverting to paper is regressive, but the top court said that absent a jurisdictional error it would not destabilize an imminent election and noted election petitions remain available after voting.