India, Oct. 30 -- The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has clarified that there is currently no legal provision for using Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in local body elections across the state.

The clarification comes amid demands from Opposition parties to conduct upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra using VVPAT machines to ensure greater transparency. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar had also urged that if VVPATs could not be deployed, polls should be held using ballot papers instead.

Local body elections, including those for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are slated to be completed by January 2026.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the SEC explained th...