JAMMU: The election commission of India will demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote Voting Machine in its meeting with the political parties on Monday, January 16.
Contrary to the speculations rife on the development, the Monday meeting has nothing to do with the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir
The ECI has developed a remote electronic voter machine (RVM) with migrant voters in mind, and on Monday, the ECI will demonstrate the working of the RVM to the political parties from all over the country.
“A total of 65 political parties including eight recognised national and 57 state political parties have been invited on January 16 to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype RVM,” an ECI official from New Delhi informed The Dispatch.
He added that the invitations were extended to these political parties in December last year.
The multi-constituency remote EVM, developed by a public sector undertaking, can handle up to 72 constituencies from a single remote polling booth. Currently, voters have to go to their constituencies to vote but they would be able to cast vote remotely with RVMs.
Terming counting of votes cast at remote booths and their transmission to the returning officer (RO) in other states as a “technological challenge”, ECI officials said RVMs will be developed as “a robust, failproof and efficient stand-alone system” based on existing electronic voting machines and will not be connected to the internet.
“The commission has also solicited written views of recognised political parties by January 31 on various related issues, including changes required in legislation, changes in administrative procedures and voting method for domestic migrants,” The Dispatch was informed.
However, highly placed sources informed The Dispatch that Chief Secretary Arun Kunar Mehta and Director General of Police Dilbag Singh are scheduled to meet union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla soon.
The meeting comes in the backdrop of union Home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
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