Not much boxes in J&K, HP agrees to supply
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 12: In a shocking decision, the State Government has decided to use “obsolete and outdated” technology of casting votes through ballot papers and boxes, which has been shunned by almost all States in the country by switching over to the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), in the upcoming Panchayat elections, which the Government proposed to hold this winter.
The Government has cited Panchayati Raj Act of Jammu and Kashmir which called for use of ballot boxes and ballot papers in the Panchayat elections but, according to sources, the Government could have issued an Ordinance for use of EVMs in the elections and later got the Legislature nod for the proposal.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the State Election Commission for Panchayat elections was finding it “extremely difficult” to search ballot boxes in the State as they haven’t been used in any elections here during past five to six years as EVMs were being used at all polling booths in both Parliament and Assembly elections.
“There were very few ballot boxes left in Jammu and Kashmir as they were not used in any election here during the past some years. However, with the Government deciding to persist with use of ballot papers and boxes for Panchayat elections, the State Election Commission got in touch with many States and finally Himachal Pradesh was found to have ballot boxes in sufficient quantity as required by the State for conducting elections,” sources said, adding that the Commission has decided to take ballot boxes from the neighbouring State on loan.
They added that Himachal Pradesh, which too has given up the use of ballot boxes in any form of the elections, has agreed to meet the demand of Jammu and Kashmir Government by supplying requisite number of boxes to the State on loan. The State Election Commission, which was responsible for conducting the Panchayat elections, has taken up the matter with Himachal Pradesh and the ballot boxes were likely to reach here in the next few days.
Political observers were surprised at the State Government decision to stick to the use of ballot boxes and ballot papers for the Panchayat elections at a time when almost all other States of the country have stopped using this “outdated technology” for conduct of any form of election after introduction of the EVMs.
“Apart from consuming lot of time in casting votes as well as counting, a number of votes are rejected in the ballot paper system, thus, depriving some of the people of their right to franchise. Moreover, in the Panchayat elections, the margin of victory is decided by few votes only in majority of cases. In such scenario, the illegal votes can make the difference,” the observers pointed out while batting for use of EVMs in the elections, which have officially been declared as temper-proof by the Election Commission of India.
Moreover, they said, the use of ballot papers has also raised suspicions in the minds of people on “fair conduct” of elections as such an obsolete technology had earlier also been misused in Jammu and Kashmir many a times including infamous 1987 Assembly elections.
To a question that Panchayati Raj Act provides for use of ballot boxes and ballot papers for the Panchayat elections, the observers said, the Government should have amended the Act to delete this clause and replace it with EVMs. They said since the Government has only few days back issued an Ordinance designating the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir (Shaleen Kabra) as the State Election Commission for conducting Panchayat polls, a similar process could have been followed on use of EVMs.
Meanwhile, the Rural Development Department has appointed the District Panchayat Officers (DPOs) in many districts, where the posts were lying vacant after transfer and posting of the officers. In some cases, charge of the DPOs has been given to some senior officers of the districts with a view to keep everything ready for the Panchayat elections, if the Government decided to hold the polls this winter.
Though the Electoral Rolls for Panchayats have been updated, it could take few more days for their publication by the State Election Commission, sources said, adding that only after the Rolls are published that the Commission can announce elections for the Panchayats after the State Government takes a call on timing of the polls.
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