Opposition divided on remote voting machines for migrants

While JD(U) and TDP welcome the Election Commission’s initiative, parties such as DMK and Trinamool Congress echo the Congress in opposing the move; Left parties, RJD, BRS say they will decide their stance after examining the issue in detail

Leaders from SP and DMK have asked the EC to resolve doubts raised over functioning of EVMs. | Photo Credit: A.M. FARUQUI

A day after the Election Commission announced that it has developed a prototype of a multi-constituency remote electronic voting machine (RVM) for migrant workers and invited political parties to see the working of the machine, the Opposition parties on Friday were divided on the proposed move.

The EC has invited the political parties for a demonstration of the working of RVM on January 16.

If the use of RVMs are implemented after consultations with stakeholders, migrant voters will not have to travel to their home States or districts to exercise their franchise.

While the Janata Dal–United (JD-U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) welcomed the EC’s initiative, parties like the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) and Trinamool Congress echoed the Congress party in opposing the move.

Several other parties, including the Left, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) formerly Telangana Rashtra Samihti) said they would take a firm stand after examining the issue in detail.

Samajwadi Party almost echoed the Congress and said that the the poll panel had to first allay the Opposition’s apprehension about the misuse of EVMs.

CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D. Raja both confirmed that their parties would be attending the meeting convened by the EC and a final position on the issue would be taken only after by January 31, when parties are required to give their written responses.

DMK Rajya Sabha member P. Wilson, who was part of the Standing Committee on Law, said that the Election Commission has no locus standi to come up with such a prototype without an amendment to the existing law.

“This will also lead to wholesale bogus voting and discourage free and fair elections, which is basic feature of constitution. Say, for an Assembly election in Bihar, we allow the voters based out of Tamil Nadu to vote, how exactly will the Bihar’s regional parties verify,” Mr. Wilson said.

“VVPAT [Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail] proved to be opaque as the objectives for which it was thrust upon have been frustrated. Now another Ad Hoc measure to introduce RVM enabling migrants to vote from their present location, though admittedly there is no such data base. It’s baseless, no logic can support it,” said Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray in a tweet.

However, JD-U secretary general K.C. Tyagi said the proposal will be helpful for crores of migrant workers from States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). “We welcome the move. Data has shown that in the past 10 years, nearly 30 crore voters have not been able to exercise their mandate,” he said.

Rajya Sabha member and RJD leader Manoj Jha added, “We are deliberating on the issue and will give our considered view shortly”.

“We are all for it if this prototype will improve the voting percentage, especially in the urban areas. However, the EC still has to settle the doubts in the mind of India’s electorate about the EVMs and their sanctity,” TDP’s Lok Sabha MP Ram Mohan Naidu.

“The idea sounds good, but when credibility of EVMs are in doubts, how we trust this new thing. Our party has given multiple proofs about malpractices related to EVMs to the EC. We believe the EC should first publicly satisfy our doubts about EVM based elections before going ahead with such ideas,” told Rajeev Rai, SP national spokesperson to The Hindu. 

Opposing the idea, the Congress on Thursday had said the proposed move could seriously “undermine trust in the electoral system” and urged the EC to restore the credibility of the electoral process by addressing the Opposition’s concerns.