Gandhinagar

Election Commissioner A K Joti today reviewed the progress of the drive to connect Aadhar card (UID) with voter id cards and various preparations for the upcoming local body polls in Gujarat including the much talked about online e-voting system which this time around will be allowed in all wards for the first time.

Mr. Joti, the former chief secretary of Gujarat who was appointed as the election commissioner in May this year, also discussed the provision of compulsory voting mandated by the state government.

On the occasion Chief Electoral Officer of the state Mrs. Anita Karwal informed that out of around 3.19 crore voters almost two crore have already been linked with their UID cards so far. Chief Election Commissioner of the Gujarat State Election Commission Mr. Varesh Sinha apprised Mr. Joti about the preparations for the local body elections. He was also shown a presentation of compulsory voting law and the demo of multi choice EVMs with NOTA alternative.

Notably, the online E-voting system developed by the state commission through a unique project was first experimented in Gujarat during 2011 local body polls in Gandhinagar ward. Later it was used during the Junagarh Municipal Corporation elections in July last year. This time the e-voting would be allowed in all the wards instead of the earlier practice of using in one ward only.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ms D Thara along with other senior officials were also present on the occasion.

– DeshGuujarat

Gujarat SEC gives presentation on e-voting to ECI

The State Election Commission (SEC) of Gujarat today made a presentation before the Election Commissioner of India A K Joti on the e-voting system which will be used on a large scale in the municipal elections in October.

E-voting system allows online voting. It will be used in the elections of six municipal corporations in the state, Joti said here after a meeting with SEC officials.

Though local body polls fall in the purview of SEC, Joti showed interest in the e-voting system during his visit.

“Gujarat became the first state to introduce e-voting in 2010 on experimental basis. At that time one ward in each municipal corporation was selected for e-voting. Now Gujarat government has taken up a drive to expand the horizons of that system and involve more voters in it,” Joti told reporters.

“State election commissioner Varesh Sinha and others showed me a presentation about how it will be implemented. I am told that e-voting will now be available for voters of every ward of all the municipal corporations going to polls (in October),” said Joti, a 1975 batch IAS officer who was earlier chief secretary of Gujarat.

Of the eight municipal corporations in Gujarat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Surat are having elections this year.

Secretary of SEC, M V Joshi, said the voters of these six corporations will now have a choice of voting online without visiting the booth. “To avail of the facility, the voter has to register himself with us,” he said.

PTI