Opposition parties on Monday questioned the need to deploy Remote Voting Machines (RVM) for migrant workers and sought an answer to it in the first place before any move by the Election Commission to introduce it.
The poll body and the parties began discussions on the politically sensitive subject. Representatives from eight national parties and 40 State-recognised political parties attended the demonstration and agreed with the broad objectives of every effort to include non-voting electors in the election process.
The meeting was attended by leaders of the JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPI, CPI(M), National Conference, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Peoples Democratic Party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the Indian Union Muslim League, as well as Independent Rajya Sabha MP and former Congress leader Kapil Sibal.
“No opposition party wants to see the demonstration of a RVM. First the issue of the need to have such a machine should be settled,” senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh told reporters after attending the demonstration.
The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said he felt that there would be no RVM demonstration till there is a consensus on having one. “The idea of RVM is not acceptable,” Singh said, and added that the commission should address concerns about electronic voting machines raised by eminent citizens of the country. The EC should also address the issue of urban apathy towards the election process, he said.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said there were other ways to increase participation of voters. “How will we campaign in different States among eligible migrant voters using RVM? When there is a bypoll on one seat, say Jalandhar, RVM is not acceptable,” he added.
The poll panel had invited representatives of eight national and 57 recognised state parties for an RVM demonstration here. The EC has extended the date of submission of written views by political parties till February 28.
“Matters related to legal, administrative aspects and logistical challenges for remote voting were discussed threadbare. Some political parties requested for demonstration of RVM in the states while some others wanted the very concept of domestic migrants to be defined before taking the matter ahead,” sources said.
“More than 80 political party representatives patiently listened to each other’s submissions. They appreciated the ECI’s initiative of calling all-party discussion and suggested more such discussions on a regular basis in future,” they said.
The Commission has maintained that RVMs, developed by the public sector undertaking Electronics Corporation of India, will be a standalone device not connected to the internet in any way.
The initiative, if implemented, can lead to a “social transformation” for migrants, the EC had said last month.
Each machine can handle up to 72 constituencies, allowing migrant voters to cast their votes from a remote polling booth.
Parties were also asked to give in writing their views by the end of January on issues such as changes required in the law to allow the use of RVMs.