Kerala is witnessing an intense electoral battle as voters prepare to decide the State’s political direction after a decade under Left rule. Adding a new dimension, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has added a bit of colour to the voting process. In a first in the State, the ballot units for the polling will have colour photographs of the candidates. The ECI’s decision has prompted the State Printing Department to make necessary changes in its election workflow.

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While the ballots in black and white used to be printed in government presses across the State until the previous polls, this time the colour ballots will be produced only in three units equipped with digital printers.

Of the 11 presses under the department in the State, the ballots for the upcoming polls can be printed only at two facilities in Thiruvananthapuram and one in Ernakulam. While the EVM labels for Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur will be printed at the Government Press in Ernakulam, those for Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram will be printed in the Government Central Press at Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram.

The ballots for the remaining eight districts will be prepared at the Government Press at Mannanthala in Thiruvananthapuram. The department had to purchase a new inkjet digital printer for the Mannanthala unit in view of the ECI’s decision to introduce colour images on ballots. For Assembly elections, pink-coloured paper of specified ‘RGB values’ have to be used.

“We began receiving the list of contesting candidates in each Assembly constituency from the night of March 26 after the deadline to withdraw nominations ended. Approvals for printing were issued the next day. Printing has already started and the process is expected to be completed by March 30. Each Assembly constituency requires around 300 EVM label copies,” Veeran.T., Superintendent of Government Presses said.

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The postal ballots and tendered ballots, to be used in case of emergencies, continue to be printed in black and white at other units as well. The government presses are also busy printing a variety of election-related envelopes, passes and forms.

The ECI first introduced the colour images on ballots during the Assembly elections in Bihar last year. The poll body decided to have colour images following frequent complaints that many voters found it difficult to recognise the black and white photos of candidates on the EVMs. Photographs were initially added to ballots in 2015 with the aim of avoiding confusion in constituencies where several candidates shared identical or similar names.