MPs advocate paper trail in EVMs, call for electoral reforms

Amid concerns over possibility of EVM tampering, members in the Rajya Sabha today sought the use of voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines and called for bold electoral reforms like state funding of polls and audit of election spending by political parties.

Participating in a short duration debate on electoral reforms, members also expressed grave concern over exorbitant expenses incurred by some parties in hiring aircraft and helicopters for campaigning. "Election Commission (EC) has send 11 letters to government and one SOS (save our soul) message to the Prime Minister about the use of these paper trail machines. Since the Government has not responded to the EC's communique, the people are doubting the intention of the government," Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

The paper-trail machine gives a receipt to the voter verifying the vote and the candidate in whose favour the button has been pressed on the electronic voting machine(EVM). Azad said there were doubts on the EVM system, especially when developed countries like United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, were not using it. When some BJP MPs intervened and asked whether elections can be conducted again without EVMs in Punjab, Azad replied "We are ready. But you should also conduct election in Uttar Pradesh again in that case."

Azad told the House that the Supreme Court had ordered the use of VVPAT machines in October 2013 and the expenditure on this was estimated at Rs 3,100 crore then. "You have been holding it. If you start acting now, you would be able to do it by the 2019 Lok Sabha polls." He also drew attention towards the "exorbitant" expenditure by some political parties like use of helicopters and aircraft during elections, breaching the spending limit. Initiating the debate, Mukul Roy (AITC) said there should be an audit of expenditure during polls on public meetings or air transportation by the political parties, which should be tabled in the House.

Roy also demanded state funding for political parties for contesting elections, saying without state funding, only the big and resourceful parties would be able to contest polls. Bhupender Yadav (BJP) said "we need to think about simultaneous (Lok Sabha and assembly) elections. A state remains affected for more than a year due of various elections and the model code of conduct." He also stressed the need to move towards e-voting. 

Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said it was not feasible to hold simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies as there were many loopholes in the current electoral system. Money-power play in buying votes, exorbitant expenditure on campaigning, apprehensions about tampering of EVMs, misuse of the media and transfer of bureaucrats were some of the loopholes seen during these elections, he said.
"Those who manufacture EVM machines, if a deal is fixed, if you press the symbol of Elephant, it goes to Lotus. It is possible," he said. On poll expenditure, he suggested inclusion of party funds to the expenditure of a candidate.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said electoral reforms in the country required removing of various infirmities from the system. Terming the proposal of electoral funding by bonds and Rs 2,000 limit person as "mere eyewash", he said such initiatives would not be of much help but in the contrary open new avenues of money laundering. "If we really want to reduce the role of money in the electoral process, there needs to be a ceiling on expenditure by political parties," Yechury said.

He also suggested banning corporate funding to political parties as part of the process to cleanse the system. "Corporate funding to political parties should be banned. Let there be a state fund which could be managed by the Election Commission," Yechury said. He said there was a widespread feeling that the demonetization exercise was initiated to help the ruling party in the elections. "Money power has reached a crescendo which we have seen in the recent elections," Yechury noted.

He also emphasised the move towards a partial proportional voting system, terming the current system as a "weakness" which the country needed to reconsider."This distortion where there is no rule of majority can only be corrected by a partial proportional representation system," Yechury said. On EVMs, he said the government is not releasing funds so that systems with paper trail could be used in the elections. "If there is a dispute you can count the paper ballot. When Supreme Court has ordered you to do so, why are you (government) is not doing it?"

On holding of simultaneous polls, he asked the government whether it was "prepared to remove Article 356 from the Constitution. If you remove it, then you can have simultaneous elections." "It is your plan to move to a Presidential system from the current Parliamentary form of governance through a back door entry," Yechury alleged. Satish Chandra Misra (BSP) said there was a need to look seriously into the defection of members from one political party to another.

Citing the example of Telangana, he said two members of his party defected and were made ministers. On EVMs, he said various countries like Germany, US, Ireland and Japan have stopped using such machines while they were being used in India. He said even if there was a one per cent chance that the machines could be tinkered with, "we have a right to demand" that elections be held using paper ballots. "Even if there is one per cent chance of tinkering with the EVMs, it is not a free and fare election."

"People are screaming on the streets. They have been cheated. Fraud has been done with them via EVMs," he said. Misra's charge led to heated exchanges between the ruling party and the Opposition as he also charged the government for not using the VVPAT machines during the UP elections. "In Goa, these (VVPAT) machines were used in all the assembly seats. There your (BJP) tally has come down from 21 to 13," he said.

Intervening in the debate on electoral reforms, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "there is always scope for electoral reforms. We believe in positive suggestions." On the model code of conduct, he said restrictions are placed during the elections on timings of campaigning and cases are registered for violation of this. All political parties should move collectively for bringing reforms, he added.

Distancing his party from a book on EVMs, Naqvi said, "it is not BJP-authorised document. The BJP has never raised questions on EVMs although we have suggested reforms." Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai raised the issue of use of black money and "abuse" of administartive machinery during elections and said reforms are needed to restore faith in electoral process. Supporting the paper trail in EVMs, he said it should be done to bring transparency and credibility to the system.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said the Supreme Court directives and EC guidelines on paper trail linking EVMs should be adhered to. He said in UP, results of postal ballots do not match with EVM results. "Postal ballot is contradicting EVM and it is not the BJP victory but the victory of EVM manipulation," he alleged. Targeting the Opposition, BJP MP Vinay Sahsrabudde said there should be a discussion on the internal elections of parties. "New India is behind the Modi government and we support electoral reforms," he said.

DMK MP TKS Elangovan advocated proportional representation system in elections and suggested changes in People Representation Act. NCP MP D P Tripathi said only those who get more than 50 per cent of votes should be elected as MP/MLAs. "Currently, no one who has been elected, has got more than 20 per cent of votes," he said. Tripathi also sought amendment to the Anti-Defection law so that anyone switching parties loses membership of an elected body. Congress MP Rajani Patil raised the isuue of rampant use of money power, muscle power and media power in the elections and said, "today it is not possible for poor man to contest elections."

On EVMs, she said when so many people and parties have raised suspicions about their functioning, then the EC and the government should address the issue. Vandana Chauhan (NCP) said there has been hue and cry regarding EVMs, but the ruling party only says that the voting machines cannot be tampered. Every electronic equipment can be tampared, she said and cited a Supreme Court order which stressed on paper trail in the EVMs.

Chauhan said in local bodies elections in Maharashtra, there were cases where the number of votes polled and counted did not match. NCP leader Praful Patel suggested that the forthcoming elections should be held using EVMs with VVAPT. V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP) suggested several steps to bring electoral reforms, which include women reservation and ban on candidates contesting from multiple seats.

CPI member D Raja said the country should move towards proportional representation system and stressed on early passage of women's reservation bill. He said allegation of EVM rigging has shaken the faith of people, he added. Congress member Rajeev Shukla said if there are doubts on EVMs, then it is the responsibility of both the Election Commission and the government to address the doubts. In an apparent jibe on the BJP, he said allegations of EVM rigging has spoilt the taste of victory. He suggested that opinion polls should be banned few months ahead of elections.