The State election authority, Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, has decided to deploy a range of software applications for effective conduct of coming Assembly elections in the State.
Several applications like a Chatbot enabling voters to pose queries to election authorities directly for understanding the election processes are lined up. A major feature in the coming election is the deployment of software for monitoring election expenditure by candidates and seizure of liquor, cash and other items made by officials overseeing the effective implementation of the model code of conduct.
The software involves police, income tax, enforcement directorate and 18 other agencies identified by the Election Commission of India. Details of expenditure incurred by candidates will be gathered and posted online for all the agencies concerned so that they cross-check the information and act accordingly.
In addition, a shadow expenditure register for each candidate would be created so that the expenditure observers deployed by the ECI ensure monitoring the expenditure incurred by candidates from time to time when he MCC was in force. The register would cover every aspect of the expenditure including the events organised by contesting candidates. “This will help the observers cross-question the candidates at the field level in the event of their crossing the limits,” Mr. Vikas Raj told The Hindu.
On the complaints that bogus votes are being added to the electors’ list, he said unlike the previous elections, the ECI had become the custodian of voters’ lists. The process had been made system-driven and there was no scope for suo motu decisions. The system had been developed in such a way that Election Registration Officers would not be able to delete or add voters’ names in bulk. “Such a system was not there last time. I really doubt we will have any issue with the electoral rolls this time,” he said.
There were several other applications being developed by the ECI in the State that would be launched in the next few weeks. For instance, the postal ballot for service personnel would be electronically transmitted and they would in turn download it and submit it in the physical form from anywhere across the country after marking their choice.
Another application is related to allocation of duties to officials at different levels like polling and presiding officers so that their workflow charts was prepared and monitored by officials concerned from time to time.
