
India is one of the largest democratic countries in the world. Democracy means fair and honest elections with voluntary participation by all eligible voters of the nation. Unfortunately, elections meant to be a process of distribution of money, freebies, rigging, caste, religion, and family driven approach to establish democracy.
One of the invisible factors influencing the outcome of elections is educated, employed, businessmen absenting themselves from casting their valuable votes and spending the polling day as a holiday to go out, partying and uncared who which political party is contesting.
Despite government declaring polling day as a holiday to facilitate casting of vote by each and every eligible citizen, these categories of people are the real threat to democracy and opine that their vote will benefit a politician. It is rightly said that no politics is not the answer to bad politics. Not voting is a sin.
Hence it is necessary to capture the votes of these holidaying voters who deliberately abscond from casting their vote by introducing a remote online application so that every voter can vote from wherever he or she is by using a computer, laptop or mobile.
India is so advanced in digital, wireless, online technology and since spends millions of rupees for I.T, AVM related advancement and to invest in such a possible voting system should be a non-issue and just possible.
Already there is prevailing doubt on the accuracy of AVMs and are suspected to be prone to manipulation. The government and The Chief Election Commissioner of India should jointly work in this direction to make it operative during the forthcoming general elections.
The Law makers and constitutionalists to advise the concerned to urgently evaluate the possibility and feasibility of introducing an Online/ Remote Voting App. as an important part of electoral reforms.
In addition to ensuring free, fair, and honest electioneering process it is equally important to see that all eligible voters in the country make it mandatory to cast their vote. Unfortunately, it has become a practice among youth, educated, employees and businessmen to avail the holiday given for polling to go for outing, movies, partying, resting and take polling as a casual activity that benefits only politicians and not the nation in safeguarding democracy.
A penal clause that cancels their passport, Aadhar card, and stops supplies of essential utilities like water, power, and any other government concessions. The employer of a firm or establishment should also be made responsible to ensure all his employees vote their votes.
Secondly there are several impediments to the process of polling as under:
- Lack of control on the limit for spending in elections.
- Once huge amounts of black money found belonging to the candidate, he should be barred from contesting the elections for any next subsequent three elections.
- Once the election notification is issued by CEC, the state government should step down and the governed rule should continue until the new government is formed. In case of central government, the President of India should take over.
- The voter lists are not properly updated. There are several mistakes in name, address, and other details.
- New voter enrolment once someone attains the age of 18 years should be mandatory.
- Even senior citizens must go from pillar to post to find their name in the list, despite holding a voter card, to several polling booths only to find that their name is nowhere.
- Information on Booth's location is not displayed. Some return home without voting as the location and correct booth number is confusing.
- Tampering of EVMs
- Last one hour of the day generally the police allow anyone and everyone to vote without verifying the identity proof.
- In many instances one person casts votes of ten people with the connivance of police and local leaders and mafia.