Zaidi was in Chandigarh to inaugurate the 13th National Conference on Political and Democratic Reforms at Panjab University (PU).
Amidst complaints over alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs), Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi on Saturday said that an all-party meet would soon be held to assure stakeholders that EVMs are secure and non-tamperable.
Zaidi was in Chandigarh to inaugurate the 13th National Conference on Political and Democratic Reforms at Panjab University (PU).
Responding to mediapersons over parties' complaints against alleged tampering of EVMs, Zaidi said EVMs are secure and non-tamperable, and Commission is planning to work out modalities for an "open challenge" to dispel doubts over EVMs misuse and parties will be informed about it in the meeting.
He added that voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) will be used in all future elections to boost voters' confidence and that the EC has placed an order for that.
Expressing grave concerns on the increasing inflow of money during elections, Zaidi said that the EC has seized over Rs 350 crore during recently concluded five state Assembly elections which was three times higher than what was seized in the 2012 Assembly elections.
He highlighted that there was a steep rise in assets of the candidates seeking re-election and that the electors have every right to know the causes behind this sharp increase in assets. "We should also formulate a strong anti-bribery law or legal framework, there should be strict enforcement on the ground and lastly, ethical voting practices need to be inculcated by voters," he said.
The CEC also expressed concerns highlighting that the political parties under the current legal framework are loosely governed, be it registration, funding or expenditure.
Terming the recent electoral reforms introduced in the past few months by the government as "retrograde," Zaidi said that by not reducing the limit of anonymity from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2000, the transparency has not been brought about. "If the contribution has been made in the form of electoral bonds, it would not be a part of the contributions report of the political parties. This is a retrograde step which will enhance opacity in political party funding," he said.
Talking about future reforms, Dr. Zaidi said ECI has been formulating policy to make sure that there is transparency in declaration by candidates on any disqualifications at the time of their nominations. The Commission has earlier seen instances where the candidates did not declare their disqualifications at the time of nomination.
The ECI has amended rules to include declaration of disqualifications in nomination forms as mandatory, including holding of office of profit, insolvency, allegiance to a foreign country and any disqualifications incurred under Section 8A of RP Act.
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