Three states in the Northeast of the country have been allotted two different days for holding Assembly elections next month. The Election Commission of India (ECI) deemed it impossible to hold simultaneous elections for these three states which have a combined population of less than one crore—around the same as the New Delhi district (2011 census).
Just before announcing the upcoming polls, the ECI inexplicably digressed and brought another issue into the political discourse: Multi-Constituency Remote Voting Machines or RVMs which would help migrants vote from remote locations.
One important issue needs the ECI’s immediate attention—when those in high Constitutional office deliberately bypass the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making speeches in one area which are telecast live in places where the ‘silent period’ is in force. Instead, the ECI in its wisdom, chose to circulate a letter on the institutionalisation of RVMs to solicit the views of political parties in the first two months of 2023.
There is no doubt that the responsibility of enabling every citizen above 18 to exercise their right to vote lies with the ECI. However, any decision to jump into this uncharted territory will cause more harm than good.