The Calcutta High Court has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) on the shortage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in the state.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai directed the Commission to file an affidavit clarifying whether polling data collected from EVMs and VVPAT machines can be stored separately on hard disks and whether such a procedure is legally permissible.

The matter comes amid the Commission's preparations for municipal elections in seven municipalities, including Kolkata and Howrah, with polling tentatively expected to take place towards the end of November.

The seven municipalities expected to go to polls in the first phase are Kolkata, Howrah, Bally, Haldia, Dhupguri, Kalimpong and Kurseong. The formal election notification may be issued in the last week of October, with results likely to be declared in early December.

The Commission's difficulty in arranging voting machines is linked to earlier court proceedings in which EVMs were directed to be preserved in connection with pending election-related cases. The SEC had approached the High Court seeking permission to use machines held in administrative custody for the forthcoming civic elections.