NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 14
The opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to recommend to the Centre to immediately scrap certain amendments related to the conduct of polls and urged it to initiate consultative process with all political parties.
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It demanded scrapping Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules 2019 and Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules 2020, and wanted the EC to involve relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety of citizens without compromising their statutory right to cast their vote independently.
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice had amended the conduct rules in June, on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), to allow senior citizens over the age of 65 to vote using postal ballots in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
In his 13-page letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, DMK President M K Stalin alleged the said amendments ‘are illegal and were introduced behind the back of the stake holders.’ The amendments were ‘rushed through’ without giving wide publicity and inviting political parties’ views, he alleged.
‘To take care of the fraction of voters in Jharkhand and New Delhi, it is highly incomprehensible as to why Amendment Rules, 2019 for the whole of India were introduced.’ ‘For thousands of senior citizens in Jharkhand why should it be made a rule for the whole of the country, particularly when it is made applicable to bigger states like Tamil Nadu under the back door method of rule making powers under Section 169 without consulting the stakeholders in the democracy like the DMK,’ he said.
Stalin claimed the necessity and requirement felt for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD), essential services electors in Jharkhand cannot be extended and applied to whole of India.
The amendments ‘are highly arbitrary, irrational, whimsical and illogical,’ Stalin alleged in the letter.
Wondering how a small state like Jharkhand and Delhi can be equated to larger states like Tamil Nadu, he claimed there is no rationality in applying the concept of ‘absentee voters’ and widen the usage of postal ballot to unidentified electorate.
‘A serious doubt arises as to whether the Election Commission has collected any data of these absentee voters in each State before the amendments were brought,’ he said.
The key concern regarding this amendment is not only the changes that it has brought about, but the manner in which the decision has been taken.
A fundamental change of this nature should not be taken without large-scale consultation with all relevant stakeholders, he said.
Overall, this decision taken in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to risk the lives of a large number of people, raises valid concerns regarding a free and fair electoral process and deprives all stakeholders of equal opportunities, he claimed.
