Will BJP benefit from the remote voting system: 300 million voters can change the course of an election; Congress is protesting

The Election Commission has shown the prototype of the Remote Voting Machine ie RVM on Monday. A demo was given in front of 8 national and 57 regional parties on how far-flung voters would vote through this system. 16 parties including Congress have opposed RVM. He says that there are huge political problems in this.

Why is there a need for a remote voting system in the country?

There were a total of 91 crore voters in the country during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Of these, more than 30 crore people did not exercise their franchise at all. The Election Commission says that these include those people who are working in other states or are migrant laborers.

According to the 2011 census, about 45.36 crore people in the country are living in other states leaving their homes and cities i.e. they are migrants. This is 37% of the country's population. This number has increased over time. Keeping this in mind, the Election Commission has come up with a remote voting system.

According to the Election Commission, 'A large section of the population is unable to cast their vote due to urgent work or travel reasons. This is against the target of the Election Commission of leaving no voter behind. That's why RVM has been prepared.

What is Remote Voting Machine and how did the idea come about?

In 2016, the Election Commission formed a Committee of Officers on Domestic Migrants to understand the issue of migrant voting. In late 2016, the committee recommended internet voting, proxy voting, early voting, and postal ballot voting for migrants.

However, all these ideas lacked the secrecy of the vote. Also, it was not beneficial for less educated people. In such a situation, the Election Commission rejected all the ideas. After this, the Election Commission found its technical solution through the RVM system. It allows voters to vote in a safe and controlled environment.

With the help of this system, voters living away from home i.e. living in another state or city will also be able to vote. For this, they will not need to go to their city or village. In the city where the voter is living, he will have to go to the remote voting spot made there.

How to vote through a remote voting system?

Suppose Vaibhav is a resident of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, and works in Jaipur, Rajasthan. During the Madhya Pradesh elections, Vaibhav will be able to vote for his assembly at the special voting booth set up in Jaipur itself. This process of voting will be done in 4 steps.

The Presiding Officer at the booth will scan the voter's Constituency Card after verifying the ID.

After this, the name of the voter's constituency will be visible on the public display unit i.e. a big screen.

The voter will vote for the candidate of his choice and this vote will be recorded along with the Constituency Number, State Code, and Candidate Number.

The VVPAT slip also contains the name, symbol, and serial number of the candidate along with the state code and constituency code.

Why are 16 parties including Congress opposing the remote voting system?

Congress leader Digvijay Singh says, 'RVM system is still very incomplete. There are huge political problems in this. The definition and number of migrant workers are also not clear. In such a situation, we do not support RVM.

Three big questions are being raised on the remote voting system.

1. What will be the definition of a domestic migrant? Will all domestic expatriates be able to vote?

2. When questions are being raised about technology-based voting, how appropriate would it be to bring RVM?

3. How will the Model Code of Conduct i.e. Electoral Code of Conduct be applicable at Remote Voting Locations?

… Now finally the question is whether BJP will get the benefit of a remote voting system?

The voting percentage of 2014 was 8% more than compared 2009 voting. Lokniti CSDS analyzed the constituency-level vote. In this, it was found that the rate of winning the seat of NDA has also increased due to an increase in voting. That means BJP and its allies were more likely to win the seat where voting was more. Jagdeep Chhokar, the founder of the Association of Democratic Reforms, said that the voting percentage will increase with the implementation of the remote voting system, but it is difficult to say who will benefit from it.

With the addition of 30 crore remote voters, election issues will also revolve around them. In such a situation, big parties and rich candidates, who can campaign fiercely in and outside the constituency, can get an advantage. Experts say that BJP is currently at the forefront in terms of resources.

According to Sanjay Kumar, a political expert associated with CSDS, 'The political party whose remote voting system will be implemented while in power will get its benefit. The reason behind this is that the migrant laborers living in cities like Surat, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai will feel that this government has given them this right.

In 1988, the Rajiv Gandhi government reduced the voting age from 21 years to 18 years. However, this did not make any fundamental difference to the election results. The Congress, which won 426 seats in 1984, was reduced to 195 seats in the 1989 elections.

Also Read: Demo of the remote voting system: Eight national and 57 regional parties understand RVM, and 16 parties including Congress oppose