Bengaluru: Long-pending elections to zilla (ZPs), taluk (TPs) and gram panchayats (GPs) could be drawing close with the State Election Commission (SEC) ordering districts to urgently verify and furnish fresh details of ballot boxes available.The directive, issued to district deputy commissioners Tuesday, comes as the SEC steps up preparations for rural local body elections that, under a govt decision in April, will be conducted using paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines.SEC had earlier sought details of large ballot boxes in good condition that could be used for GP elections. District authorities submitted the information by email on July 20. However, subsequent physical inspections found huge discrepancies in the data.In some districts, officials found ballot boxes that had not been entered in stock registers, while incorrect information was also submitted. SEC has now asked all districts to physically verify and submit complete details by the weekend.In its letter marked ‘most urgent’, SEC said elections to GPs, TPs and ZPs will be conducted using ballot boxes in accordance with the govt amendment notification issued on April 15, 2026. It said the updated stock position was crucial to preparations since availability and condition of ballot boxes is a basic requirement to conduct polls across the three tiers of rural local bodies.The latest exercise is significant as it indicates that election machinery is moving beyond preparatory policy decisions and towards logistical readiness.The terms of all elected GPs ended between Jan and March this year, after which the govt appointed administrators to run them. Elections to TPs and ZPs have been pending much longer, with their five-year terms ending in March 2021.Preparatory work on delimitation, another key requirement, has also been completed. Rural development and panchayat raj department finished delimitation of GP wards and issued district-wise notifications in June and July. District administrations have since begun issuing reservation notifications for SC, ST, OBC and women for wards across the three tiers.With delimitation, reservation and now ballot-box verification progressing, polls cannot be very far away.
