‘No talk of deferring Bihar elections at this moment’
adhered to.
(e) Our field functionaries need to account for all related instructions of managing the issues of Covid-19 at each stage.
(f) All stakeholders including political parties will have to ensure that the relevant safety guidelines issued by NDMA and public health authorities are followed in letter and spirit to ensure appropriate arrangements regarding social distancing, sanitization, disinfection, and masks/gloves etc.
How will the model code of conduct change and adapt to the new digital mode of campaigning?
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has evolved over a period of time in close consultation with the political parties, as a successful code of ethical behaviour in Indian elections. MCC consists of two parts: first, behaviour/activities which are already covered/regulated under existing statutes; and second, behaviour/activities not covered by any statute.
In case of enforcement of Disaster Management Act, 2005, to mitigate the dangers of spread of Covid-19, the concerned election authorities will ensure the implementation of regulating specific behaviour/activities, which relate to elections...
The commission has already established mechanisms to monitor digital environment for elections. There is a dedicated social media monitoring section, which monitors popular sites and deals with complaints received regarding misuse of social media for electoral purposes. Hence, with a proper monitoring mechanism in place, shifting of campaign to online mode would not affect the implementation of MCC.
Is the EC considering voting via mobile apps and online?
The commission has not considered the option of voting via mobile apps and online.
The EC has been considering the prospect of “remote voting” for a couple of years now. With lockdowns in various states, do we see a prospect of that materialising? If yes, who all will be eligible?
The focus of remote voting is on for those voters who are unable to exercise their franchise; who move from their places of ordinary residence for purposes of education, medical treatment or a vocation. Similarly, a large number of overseas electors are unable to cast their ballot. ECI has set up a Technology Advisory group, drawn from academic experts from IITS and other premier institutions to guide the commission on futuristic models for voting. They are actively engaged in simulating a workable prototype which can be tested for remote voting application. Fundamentally, it must meet the test of transparency, secrecy of ballot, security of data and network. A remote voting cell is being set up in ECI, which will have the mandate to consult various stakeholders and experts for brainstorming on the efficacy of technology. I am confident that we would be able to test...such a prototype over the next few months.