Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) considers using Digital Voting Machines (DVMs) at few wards in the upcoming Rangpur City Corporation election to be held in December next.

"We'll work whether DVMs can be used on pilot basis in one or more than one wards of Rangpur City Corporation. We'll try to use DVM assessing the feasibility over it," EC Secretary Muhammad Abdullah told reporters on Wednesday.

He came up with the remarks after the Commission's meeting held with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda in the chair at Nirbachon Bhaban in the city.

The EC Secretary said the Commission unanimously decided to arrange Rangpur city election in late December 2017 as the annual examinations of the country's schools will continue till the second week of December.

There will be 182 possible polling stations in 33 wards in the city polls. The maiden election to the city was held on December 20, 2012.

The EC Secretary said the EC's meeting, however, did not discuss the arrangement of five other city corporations -- Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur -- where five-year tenures of elected representatives will expire in 2018.

The tenure of Rangpur city will expire on March 18, 2018, while that of Gazipur City on September 4, 2018, Sylhet city on September 8, 2018, Khulna city on September 25, 2018, Rajshahi city on October 5, 2018 and Barisal city on October 23, 2018.

Three election commissioners -- Mahbub Talukder, Rafiqul Islam and Brig Gen (Retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury -- were present at the meeting.

The Election Commission led by Dr ATM Shamsul Huda first used Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) on pilot basis in a few polling stations in Chittagong City Corporation polls held in 2010.

Later, the EVMs were used in some polling stations in different local body elections. In January, 2011, the Comilla City Corporation election was held fully with EVMs.

But there had been technical errors in few EVMs during Comilla city election, Narsingdi municipality by-polls (2012) and Rajshahi city election (2013).

In 2012, the Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad-led Commission decided not to use EVMs in elections due to technical errors of the machines and strong oppositions by BNP and some other political parties.