The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Bhutanese election officials hold talks with Naresh Gupta

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 05, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Bhutanese election officials hold talks with Naresh Gupta

Staff Reporter

Witness demonstration of electronic voting machines

STUDY SESSION: A nine-member delegation from Bhutan getting a feel of electronic voting machines at the Secretariat in Chennai on Tuesday, in the presence of Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Chennai: A nine-member Bhutanese delegation led by its Chief of Elections Kaka Tshering on Tuesday held discussions with Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta and witnessed a demonstration of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Mr. Gupta said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed between the Election Commission of India and Bhutan on helping the Bhutanese Government in holding elections.

The Bhutanese election officials, along with an Under Secretary from the Election Commission of India as liason officer, visited Pondicherry to observe the conduct of civic polls. They also witnessed the counting process. Enroute Delhi, they visited Chennai to see the functioning of the EVMs.

First elections

Mr. Gupta said elections were being held in Bhutan for the first time. They wanted to study the set-up as well as the procedures involved in the poll process and frame rules that would suit their country.

The delegation had visited Tamil Nadu during the May 8 Assembly elections.

Mr.Gupta said the challenge before the Election Commission in Bhutan was to transport men and material to inaccessible mountain areas.

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