Dhaka: Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday said the EVM project will be placed in the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for its approval.

‘The EVMs (electronic voting machines) may be used in the next general election on a trial basis, but their use depends on the Election Commission’s decision,’ he said while briefing reporters after the weekly Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The minister said it will not be possible to release the whole fund for the project at a time. ‘It’ll be released in phases.’

He said the EVMs have already been used in local body elections without any controversy.

Mustafa Kama said the function of the Ecnec is to approve the project, not to implement it.

The Election Commission has designed a project proposal to procure some 1.5 lakh EVMs at a cost of Tk 3,821 crore and sent it to the Planning Commission for clearance.

The EC needs some 4 lakh machines to arrange the national election fully based on EVMs across the country.

Besides, the Election Commission has already proposed the amendment to the Representation of the People Order incorporating a provision to pave the way for using the electronic machines instead of ballot papers in general elections.