NEW DELHI: The Election Commission said that if the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are held together, around Rs 10,000 crore will be needed to buy new Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) every 15 years. The Commission said this while giving an explanation to the questions raised by the Union Law Ministry regarding holding simultaneous elections. 11.80 lakh polling stations are required for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections this year. The Commission, in a communication sent to the government, noted that the shelf life of EVMs was 15 years and one set of machines could be used to conduct three cycles of elections in their life span if simultaneous polls were held.

The Election Commission also informed the center that a certain percentage of control unit, ballot unit, VVPAT etc. will be required as a reserve to replace the damaged units. An EVM machine requires at least one ballot unit, one control unit and one VVPAT machine. In addition to these expenses, security personnel, vehicles, etc. will also be required. Necessary changes should also be made in the constitution to bring simultaneous elections into effect.

The Commission also said that if everything is considered, including the manufacture of new EVMs, simultaneous elections can be held in 2029.