Cabinet okays NRK vote for civic polls

 

The decision comes close on the heels of the UDF supporting the proposal at the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy last week.  The Central Government and the Election Commission of India are also considering online voting for NRIs.

 

With the cabinet now deciding to recommend online voting, it will be easier for the State Election Commission to come out with a decision at the earliest. It may be recalled that the government had arranged the facility for the expatriate Malayalees to come here and vote in the last Assembly elections. This was the first of its kind initiative in the country.  Though 10 percent of expatriates were expected to exercise their franchise using online facility,  only two to three per cent actually voted.

 

While the LDF is not against granting online voting rights to NRKs,  it wants the State Election Commission to ensure that the facility is not hijacked by wealthy and influential people. Besides, it has also demanded that online voting should be made error-free by giving ample time for examining the technical aspects of the online system.

 

Though the all-party meeting had discussed the possibility of granting proxy votes to NRIs, both the UDF and the LDF were against the proposal in view of the possibility of irregularities in the system