The Election Commission of India (ECI) has notified the government that it is ‘logically equipped’ to conduct simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by September 2018. This comes a few days after it issued a direction that Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) will be used at polling stations in all future elections where polls are held using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs ). The ECI today (5 October) launched a web-based application – Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) network – aimed at efficient conduct of elections.
The Election Commission was asked by the Centre as what it would require for becoming capable of holding the parliamentary and Assembly polls together. In response, the EC had asked for funds to purchase new EVMs and VVPAT machines. The commission would be logistically equipped by September 2018, to hold parliamentary and Assembly polls together. ERO network would automatically detect duplicate registration of voters. Besides, officers from the booth level to the national level would be under one network and would be able to communicate with each otherElection Commissioner OP Rawat
Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that the ERO, along with electronically transmitted postal ballot for service voters will make it easier to enable e-voting in the future.
This move will undoubtedly give Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s One India One Poll movement a big boost.
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.