Demo of remote EVM today; proposal sketchy, says Opposition

New Delhi, January 15

The Election Commission (EC) will demonstrate the functioning of the remote electronic voting machine (RVM) prototype to representatives of all political parties, both national and state, at an event here on Monday.

The EC has invited eight national and 57 state parties to see for themselves the functioning of the RVM, said officials.

In a letter to the political parties, the EC said the representatives have been invited for a “discussion on improving the participation of domestic migrants using remote voting”.

During the demonstration of the remote EVM, members of EC’s technical expert committee will also be present.

Along with the letter to the political parties, the EC has issued a concept note on the technology used in the RVM, the officials said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said most of the Opposition parties had decided to oppose the poll panel’s proposal on the RVM, as it was “sketchy and not concrete”.

Singh made the remarks after a meeting of Opposition parties that was attended by leaders of the Congress, RJD, JD-U, CPI, CPM, National Conference and JMM, among others.

Singh said there were huge political anomalies in the proposal for remote electronic voting machine. For example, the definition of a migrant labourer was not clear, he said.

The Congress leader added that the Opposition parties would again meet on January 25 to discuss the EC’s response to the questions “raised by us”, as “we have been asked to submit our views to the poll panel by January 31”.

Terming counting of votes cast at remote booths and their transmission to the returning officer in other states as a “technological challenge”, EC officials had earlier said the RVMs “will be developed as a robust, failproof and efficient stand-alone system” based on existing electronic voting machines and “will not be connected to internet”.

Political parties wary

• Most of the Opposition parties have decided to oppose the EC’s proposal on RVM as it is ‘sketchy and not concrete’, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said
• He made the remarks after a meeting of Opposition parties that was attended by leaders of the Congress, JD-U, CPI, CPM, NC and JMM among others
• The Congress leader also said the Opposition parties would again meet on January 25 to discuss the poll panel’s response to the questions ‘raised by us’