Amid COVID Pandemic, Can India Move Towards A Online Polling Systems & Virtual Rallies?

The rise in the number of cases in the country has led to thinking about all the precautionary possibilities that can be done to avoid any more rises in the infection. As per the report of NDTV; 90,928 cases have been reported in the country out of which 2,630 cases are of Omicron virus from 23 states and Union Territories.

What Do The Experts Have To Say?

Devasahayam, Coordinator of Citizen Commission on Elections told The Logical India: "Electronic Voting Machine is highly defective. We cannot really rely on it as it is not just the matter of conducting an election but it is a matter of five years, it's about the democracy of the country. Every individual's vote is a sovereign and one cannot play with it. It's really sad that presently the election commissioners are working very secretly and are not transparent about the steps being taken during the election process."

"Also, when it comes to online polling systems, it can be a very dangerous attempt to be made as votes can be manufactured then. People can be manipulated very easily as there is no surveillance," Devasahayam said.

Subhashis Banerjee, Computer Science Engineering Professor of Ashoka University, told The Logical India: "Online polling is unacceptable in most democracies, and doing it securely is considered to be almost impossible because of the possibility of coercion by political parties, friends, and even family members. Privacy of the polling booth is essential for voting."

"The time and space required while making that very crucial decision of selecting a representative are very significant and online polling systems will fail to serve that. We can however think about conducting virtual rallies considering the Covid-19 situation in India. With the number of cases arising, elections can be postponed as life is more precious at this point of time than electing representatives," Banerjee added.

Uttarakhand High Court Asks For Online Polling Systems To Election Commission

While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case in Uttarakhand High Court regarding postponing the assembly elections and cancellation of rallies due to the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state, the court asked the Election Commission if there are any possibilities of conducting election online and rallies virtually. Also, counsel for the petitioners, Shiv Bhatt asked for a ban on political events mentioning that Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tested positive for the Covid-19 virus after conducting a mega rally on January 3 in Dehradun.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) told the court that the state doesn't possess any infrastructure to conduct online polling and also, the elections are so near that making any arrangements for it is not a possibility. As per the report of The Times of India, ECI sat for a meeting with the Chief Secretary last week to discuss the Covid-19 measures required while conduction elections.

For The Country's Benefit

Living in the present scenario and political tensions getting intense, it's high time the country prioritises its citizen's life over any other agenda and work effectively for its democracy. Electing representatives is not just a matter of a political party winning or losing but speaks for the future of the country in all aspects. Polling systems need to be as transparent as it can be without any false information or threats hence, fulfilling the criteria of a healthy democracy. That's how the country will flourish and that's how it will gain better perspectives to be implemented for its betterment.

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