The political chorus against the Election Commission's decision to extend postal ballot to voters above 65 years of age and to those who are suffering from COVID-19 is growing, with the Trinamool Congress and the CPI on Monday raising objections to the alterations made in the election rules ahead of assembly polls in Bihar. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury was the first to flag issues related to the changes, with the Congress then filing a petition with the commission, asking it to reconsider the decision.
The Trinamool Congress wrote to the Commission, saying the move of wanting those over 65 years of age to vote through postal ballots is arbitrary, mala fide, unconstitutional and ex-facie, a violation of secrecy of vote, right to free and fair elections and right to health. “Our party is of the opinion that this amendment, issued without adequate consultation with the political parties, is antithetical to a robust and inclusive democracy,” the party said in its letter.
It objected to the amendment being permanent in nature rather than a temporary measure taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CPI, too, wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, seeking his intervention on two issues—digital propaganda during elections and use of postal ballot by voters who are 65 years old and above.
CPI General Secretary D. Raja said the digital propaganda during the election campaign will be extremely expensive, and it will deprive political parties of a level-playing field.
With regard to the alterations made with regard to rules associated with postal ballot, he said it will lead to malpractice and foul play by those parties that are in power and have resources. “These two proposals, if accepted, will definitely jeopardise the democratic process of free and fair elections,” Raja wrote. He asked the commission to hold wider and transparent consultations with all political parties.
The Centre had recently notified amendments in the election rules to extend the facility of postal ballot to voters above 65 years of age and to those who are suffering from the viral infection.
The Ministry of Law and Justice notified the Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules 2020, which will make the extension of the postal ballot facility in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
The amendment will allow people who are over 65 years of age, which is known to be a category most vulnerable to the novel virus, to vote using postal ballot. Earlier, the facility was available to those who were 80 years and above.
Also, the amendment extends the facility to people who are either suspected to be suffering from COVID-19 or who have been found positive for the infection by altering the clause that extended the remote voting option to persons with disability.
In response to the CPI(M)'s criticism that the changes were made without consulting political parties, the commission has already written to Yechury, stating that it was an extraordinary situation brought about by the pandemic and it was imperative to minimise the exposure of people to the virus and yet not deprive them of their voting rights. The EC also clarified that it had held meetings with political parties in poll-bound Bihar.