"At the moment the Commission is going full steam ahead with the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls", Gill said at a press conference today.He disagreed with journalists' suggestion that there could be difficulties in deploying paramilitary forces for the conduct of the polls since they had been dispatched to the border states following Pakistani intrusions. "Indian democracy is well-established. It is not that easily put off course or balance", Gill said.

Some political parties have in recent days voiced concern that an escalation of fighting in Kargil and the fallout of the conflict could have a bearing on the general elections.

Gill, however, was categorical that the poll schedule would be announced in due course. "The Commission will make the formal announcement for thepolls in good time and at an appropriate date", he said. The CEC dwelt at length on the successful use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Goa, and said the machines would be used extensively during the Parliamentary elections.

The EC has around 1.5 lakh EVMs, some of which have been used in Assembly elections earlier in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The Commission plans to use the EVMs in constituencies in different parts of the country, so that large numbers of people are exposed to the working of the machines. The electronic voting machine, about the size of a laptop, adds up votes as they are cast.

Charged by a simple battery, the machine is unaffected by power cuts and can be put to use even in areas which do not have electricity. Manufactured at a cost of Rs 6,000 each by a public sector undertaking, the EC hopes that EVMs will eventually be used in all elections. Above all, the machine eschews the need for paper, used to print millions of copiesof large ballot papers.