Foreword about the voting machine in the book Democracy at Risk by G V N Narsimharao Foreword In many democracies of the world the issue of electronic voting machines has become a matter of wide-spread public discussion. In India we have been conducting our elections through this device for the last two Lok Sabha elections and also in various Assembly elections held recently. But as yet there has been little debate on how useful these machines have proved. So when the author of this book G.V.L. Narasimha Rao approached me and requested me to write its Foreword, I not only accepted his plea, but complimented him for his efforts to compile all the facts he could on the subject and initiate a debate. The title of the book is certainly provocative. Electoral Reforms has been my favourite subject of study since the mid sixties. When I was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1970, I discussed the matter with Shri Vajpayee who was at that time a member of Lok Sabha. He agreed to raise the issue in the Lower House, and try to have a JPC set up to study the question. Those days the issue of defections, abuse of governmental power in polls and growing misuse of money power in elections were three evils causing concern to everyone concerned with the health of Indian democracy. It was at the initiative of Shri Vajpayee that in 1970 a Joint Parliamentary Committee for Electoral Reforms was set up. Both he as well as I served on this Committee. This Committee proved short lived because the Lok Sabha was dissolved in 1971. After the 1971 general elections, Shri Vajpayee raised the issue once again and saw to it that a new JPC was constituted. This Committee which gave its report in 1972 made several important recommendations some of which were accepted. The initiative taken by Vajpayee did not end there. Since then, several other committees have been formed, all aimed at reforming the poll process. My party has been proactively cooperating with all such efforts - be it the Tarkunde Committee (1974) or the Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990) or the Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998). The NDA Government headed by Shri Vajpayee also took several initiatives. But I must admit that the phenomenal increase in the cost of elections and increasing corruption that is being witnessed is extremely worrisome. (i) I understand that some time next month the Election Commission proposes to convene a meeting of political parties to discuss various issues relating to poll reforms. I have had occasion to speak to the Chief Election Commissioner myself and draw his attention to the evil of paid news, a form of media corruption which has besmirched recent elections. I understand that this issue is going to be discussed at this meeting. I suggest that the question of EVM also be taken up. I personally regard it significant that Germany, technologically, one of the most advanced countries of the world, has become so wary of EVMs as to ban their use altogether. Many states in USA have mandated that EVMs can be used only if they have a paper back-up. So manufacturers of electronic voting machines in USA have developed a technology referred to as Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Every voter who exercises his vote on the EVM gets a print out in a ballot box so that if there is any discrepancy in the machine either because of mal-functioning or because of mischief the paper ballots can be counted. Today 32 out of 50 states in the USA have passed laws making these VVPAT voting machines compulsory. The U.S. Congress has pending before it a federal law similar to that of the State laws. I think the Election Commission would be strengthening democracy if it contemplates similar legislation by the Indian Parliament also. January 26, 2010 L.K. Advani (ii)
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 11:53:42 +0000
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