The Election Commission of India deserves much appreciation for having successfully conducted the nine-phase general election to elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha ( >Editorial, May 13 ). However, a pertinent question which arises at this juncture is whether such a five-week long duration was necessary. Three weeks would have been ideal as the heat behind political verbal accusations could have been reduced.
Further, with the Internet having reached urban and semi-urban areas, the ECI should now think in terms of introducing online voting to help reduce poll expenditure and save time. There should be an attempt to have error-free voters’ lists which should be updated in advance. This should be done on a regular basis.
S. Nallasivan,
Tirunelveli
The ECI is there to keep alive the flame of freedom. Voter turnout this time also shows that young voters have understood democratic values. One only hopes that they would have voted wisely so that clean and efficient governments are formed. The percentage of polling would have definitely been higher had voter lists been updated.
Rajakumar Arulanandham,
Palayamkottai
