The 64-candidate question

India’s democracy is known for its infinite variety, so few constituencies can boast of a two- or three-horse electoral race. So much so that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) can accommodate up to 64 candidates. Ballot boxes have to be used if the number exceeds this — though this has yet to be tested since the highest number of candidates in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections was 35 from Madras South in Tamil Nadu. But it appears that some parliamentarians are not satisfied with this upper limit, so the Election Commission has started work on new EVM designs that will accommodate more than 64 candidates, according to a reply tabled by Minister of Law and Justice Salman Khurshid in Parliament earlier this week.