Gill rules out advancement of TN Assembly polls

He also met representatives of various political parties and sought their views on the conduct of the elections.

Production of photo identity cards during voting in the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Pondicherry would be made mandatory, Gill said.

Electronic Voting Machines and photo identity cards would prevent `electoral abuses’ like bogus voting and booth capturing to a large extent, he said and added that the PICs and EVMs would be the Commission’s main thrust in the elections in the new century. “This is the Commission’s new technology for new century,” he said.

He said 99 per cent of the public and political parties were in favour of EVMs. The doubts expressed by a small section of the people in EVMs could be erased by effective propaganda, he said adding that he had suggested to all the Chief Electoral officers of the states, which would be going to polls next year, to keep one EVM in all district collectorates so that the people could use it and be familiar with the machines.

Admitting that there was a delay in the distribution of PICs in Tamil Nadu, Gill said the state election department would be introducing an `on-line’ system, under which the voter would be photographed in the booth, where he would be voting and the identity cards would be given to him within half-an-hour of the photograph taken. The work on this would begin from July 1 next, he said.

He said he was satisfied with the work in other states.

On the reservation for seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures, he said the political parties were not `earnest’ on it and through their `overcleverness’ were postponing the issue.

He said there was no need for a constitutional amendment for this purpose. If Parliament, through a simple majority, amended the Representation of the People Act, stipulating that the recognition of the political parties, which did not field specified number of women as their candidates would be withdrawn, it would go a long way in ensuring the reservation.

He said his suggestion that President’s Rule should be imposed in the states before the polls would also help in the conduct of fair polls. But for this, appointments for constitutional posts like governors and election commissioners should be done in consultation with the Opposition leaders so that everybody had faith in the system, he said.