Former chief election commissioner S Y Qureshi on Sunday ruled out the possibility of online voting in India in near future. Online voting is not feasible here because of reasons related to security and integrity. “People can be put at gunpoint to vote for anyone or can be bribed,” Qureshi said, while speaking at a programme, “Mission 2019 — No Voter Left Behind”. The programme was organised by the Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy. The former CEC asked all voters to check their names on the voters’ list. He said a voter card doesn’t ensure one’s voting right. “Because names can be deleted for wrong reasons or due to computer errors.” He said that while he was the CEC, he had faced an uncomfortable situation becasue Arvind Kejriwal’s name was not on the voters’ list. However, it was found out that his name was listed in a different constituency where he used to stay earlier and finally he was able to cast his vote.
So, he suggested that whenever a roll revision takes place, one should check the electoral roll to be sure that one is still a voter.
He said even a person living below a lamp post is entitled to be registered as a voter and EC people are supposed to enroll him after carrying out necessary checks.
Qureshi said bogus voters are mostly dead people or those who have shifted and those names can be deleted. “Politicians know about the bogus voters in their areas and can bring in proxy voters to cast votes.”
Full Article: Online voting not feasible: Ex-CEC S Y Qureshi | Kolkata News – Times of India.