Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari opened the discussion on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, stressing the need to restore public faith in the voting process and ensure complete neutrality of the Election Commission.
Demand For Neutral Appointment Committee And Greater Transparency
Tewari said the Election Commission was originally created as a “neutral umpire,” but its impartiality is now under question. He proposed that the committee responsible for appointing Election Commissioners should consist of two members from the government, two from the opposition, and the Chief Justice of India. According to him, this would ensure transparent and reliable elections. He also highlighted Rajiv Gandhi’s major reform of granting voting rights to those aged 18 and above.
Concerns Over EVM Manipulation And Call For 100% VVPAT Or Paper Ballots
Raising concerns about electronic voting machines, Tewari said doubts have arisen among the public regarding whether EVMs can be manipulated. To eliminate these suspicions, he suggested switching either to complete paper ballots or implementing 100% VVPAT verification. He questioned who holds the source code of EVMs — the Election Commission or the companies supplying the machines. Tewari also disputed the claim that the Election Commission has legal authority to order Special Summary Revisions (SIR) under Section 21, stating that SIR is neither mentioned in the Constitution nor in law, and can only be invoked with written justification in case of discrepancies in the voter list.
