Sharp divide on postal ballot in India

Sharp divide on postal ballot in India
VRINDA GOPINATH

NEW DELHI, NOV 21: Even as the American public is getting Bushed and Gored by the uncertainty of the US Presidential election, made more unpredictable with the possibilities the postal ballot may spring on them, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs here is equally gripped by the debate on whether proxy voting should be an additional option to the postal ballot system already prevailing.

The committee’s report on Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 1999, which will be presented in both Houses of Parliament this session, reveals a lack of consensus as members are sharply divided with both sides (read Congress and BJP) choosing to support one or the other form of voting.

Postal ballot has been in practice since 1961 where members of the armed services, Central services police, diplomats, officers on election duty and electors subjected to preventive detention, are allowed to exercise their franchise. The Bill, however, proposes proxy voting for only two categories armed services and Central para-military forces.

Two years ago, the Election Commission (EC) put forth the idea of proxy voting as it was discovered that the postal ballot system had several deficiencies. Says Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr M S Gill: ‘‘The fact of the matter is that almost a million-and-a-half of our soldiers are effectively disenfranchised because of the delays that are caused due to the postal ballot system. I proposed the proxy voting system so that there is an immediate and effective solution to this unfortunate situation.’’ Proponents of only the postal ballot (mostly Congress members) say that first of all, all avenues, short of proxy voting, should be explored, including reforming the existing postal ballot system, to ensure participation of the special categories in the electoral process. They also questioned the efficacy of proxy voting by asking:

the procedure of authorisation of proxy voting has still not been adequately explained;

if the postal ballot cannot reach the Returning Officers on time, how will the voter communicate to his proxy within 14 days;

In the era of coalition politics, if a service voter has communicated his choice for a particular party and that party, instead of fielding a candidate due to seat adjustment, supports another party, how will the proxy make a judicious choice;

with proxy voting being offered only to two categories with the exclusion of others, would it not tantamount to discrimination; and

it will violate the principle of voting by secret ballot.

The other side harps on the grossly deficient postal system, thus disenfranchising an important section of the population.

The committee, which deliberated on the Bill in seven sittings spread over nine-and-a-half-hours, heard official witnesses from ministries and departments ranging from the EC, postal and legislative departments, Home and Defence ministries, to representatives from Army Headquarters. The committee used the voting patterns of the past two general elections held in 1998 and 1999, to formulate its views on the subject. However, it was an exercise in futility.

To the committee’s dismay, the concerned ministries and departments came with such contradictory and divergent statistics that in view of the persistent discrepancies, the former could not come to any conclusion.