‘Need to revisit silence period restrictions amid new technology’

There is a need to revisit the restrictions on election campaigning during the silence period as the advent of technology has thrown up new challenges in limiting access to material that may influence voters, outgoing chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra told Deeksha Bharadwaj in a wide-ranging conversation about his yearlong stint. Edited excerpts:

What do think is the relevance of the silence period in the age of technology?

A silence period is imposed 48 hours before the ballot is cast. There is a need to revisit and reinvent restrictions on campaigning during the silence period in view of the emergence of new technologies. The instructions from the commission are clear; A candidate campaigning for the next phase is not allowed to seek votes for the earlier one. However, this has become harder to regulate.

Do you think we are looking at more tech-oriented elections in the future?

It is the need of the hour to embrace technology... the commission has been focused on leveraging technology to make the poll process more transparent.

A number of key electoral reforms were passed during your tenure. What are the advantages of the Aadhar linkage to voter ID?

One very important reform... is that voters can now register four times in a year. As for linking Aadhaar numbers to voter ID cards, one clear benefit is that it will ensure there are no duplicate entries. Linking can also provide proof of identity, that may become the foundation of online voting...

You took over at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. What learnings helped you conduct the polls this year?

When the process for the polls (UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Goa) was kickstarted, it seemed the pandemic was under control. But as we moved along, the Omicron variant emerged.

So, for the first time, the commission decided to ban physical rallies...The commission also provided candidates with an increased expenditure limit, to ensure that they can cover any additional costs for digital campaigning.

Final report of the delimitation commission in J&K has been opposed by several political parties.

The delimitation exercise was a complicated one... The decision to allocate six new constituencies to Jammu and one to Kashmir was taken on the basis of topography, geography and population density. A decision was taken to ensure every segment is provided with representation.