India, Jan. 14 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) decision to deploy Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU) machines as a back up during vote counting if EVMs fail during the 2026 civic elections has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

For the first time, the civic body plans to use PADU machines during the counting of votes to display vote counts in case there is a technical malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) control units. Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani announced on Monday that the devices would function only as a contingency measure to prevent disruptions in the counting process.

"These PADU units are acting as a backup. ...