New Delhi, Jan 15 () The Election Commission has invited all recognised national and state political parties on January 16 to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote EVM.
With the objective of finding a technological solution for migrant voters which is credible, accessible and acceptable to all stakeholders, the Commission has explored the option of using a modified version of the time-tested model of M3 EVMs to enable voting at remote polling stations which is polling stations outside home constituency, for domestic migrants.
The migrant voter would thus need not travel back to his home district to exercise his franchise of voting.
Earlier, a concept note was circulated amongst political parties highlighting the challenges of defining domestic migrants, implementation of Model Code of Conduct, ensuring secrecy of voting, facility of polling agents for identification of voters, process and method of remote voting and counting of votes amongst other issues.
As per the poll panel, the modified form of EVM can handle up to 72 multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth.
The initiative, if implemented, can lead to a social transformation for the migrants and connect with their roots as many times they are reluctant to get themselves enrolled at their place of work for various reasons such as frequently changing residences, not enough social and emotional connect with the issues of area of migration, unwillingness to get their name deleted in electoral roll of their home/native constituencies as they have permanent residence/property etc.
The poll panel had invited all recognised eight national and 57 state political parties on January 16 to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote EVM.
The Technical Expert Committee members will also be present. The Commission has also solicited written views of recognised political parties by January 31, 2023 on various related issues including changes required in legislation, changes in administrative procedures and voting method/RVM/technology, if any other, for the domestic migrants.
kvm/pgh