The Hindu : EVMs may prove dear to voters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

EVMs may prove dear to voters

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, MARCH 12. The use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the ensuing election are likely to prove counterproductive to voters, at least in one aspect. The identity of voting pattern EVM-wise and polling station-wise would be revealed in the EVMs at the time of counting of votes and it would be known by the contestants through their agents.

Information on the EVM-wise voting pattern would enable the contestants, both winners as well as losers, to victimise the voters. While the winning candidate can discriminate with the voters of an area, if majority of them are found to have voted against him/her, in the implementation of development and welfare scheme in that particular area, the losing candidates can victimise the voters of particular areas where they had polled less. When contacted, a key district officer linked to the conduct of election, said the revelation of voting pattern identity was inevitable with the EVMs. He explained that identity of polling stations written or pasted on the EVMs would enable the counting agents to know the voting pattern of a particular area.

The official said it is not possible to remove the polling station identity on the EVMs before they are brought to the counting tables. Even if it is required it has to be done in the presence of the counting agents, which again would help know the pattern in that particular EVM. In the ballot box system, the identity of voting pattern used to remain a secret as the entire votes (ballot papers) polled in a segment were mixed and were then made into bundles for the purpose of counting. However, the votes polled through EVMs cannot be mixed and they need to be counted machine-wise and polling station wise.

A Congress legislator in the dissolved House said the new system would help him know who among his party (local leaders) had possibly ditched him.

The system is likely to prove troublesome to the voters of constituencies where the contestants are known to be leaders with muscle power. Meanwhile, the Congress is learnt to be toying with the idea of appointing women as the polling agents in the Penukonda Assembly constituency in the district.

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