TIA correspondent
NEW DELHI: Major political parties on Monday asked Election Commission of India to make elections more transparent and corruption free. At a meeting convened by Election Commission the political parties wanted the use of Electronic Voting Machines EVM should be more transparent. They wanted that the apprehensions about the tampering should be removed.
They also suggested that the role of money and muscle power in elections should be reduced. Checking criminalisation of politics and curbing the menace of paid news was also stressed during the two rounds of meetings of the national and state parties.
Suggestions were also made for state funding of the elections. Some parties wanted the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to be held simultaneously.
Several political parties have said that the Election Commission should take steps to enhance the confidence of the people in the use of Electronic Voting Machines in elections in view of apprehensions that they could be tampered with.
While most of the parties supported the use of EVMs but they wanted election commission to take note of doubts that are being raised and address the concerns. The Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said that his party fully supports the use of the EVMs.
The BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad made a strong plea for paper trail as an acknowledgement that the vote has been cast in favour of a particular candidate. He said that this concept could be launched in a small constituency to begin with.
Congress leader Jayanthi Natarajan, however, said the paper trail should only be accessed with the permission of the court in case of a complaint.
CPI leader D. Raja said that the Election Commission should take steps to strengthen the system in view of the doubts expressed.
CPI(M)’s Nilotpal Basu said that the party had raised the matter of the manufacturers of the machines which has been clarified. He however, said that to allay the fears whatever needs to be done should be done.
Press Council of India conducted a study on the phenomena of paid news in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and has come out with a number of recommendations to stop the malpractice. Election commission is already employing Press Council suggestion of in Bihar elections.