Friday, May 01, 2009

Electoral ways

Raises a lot of questions, isnt it.
The Hindu : Front Page : Out of sight, out of mind
It’s not that NRIs are prohibited from voting per se, says Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs. It’s just that the RPA does not allow them to use postal ballots. Plus, allowing them to vote in absentia would prove too cumbersome. “What electoral control can there be?” Mr. Ravi asks. “It’s not possible.” While the NRIs argue that this disenfranchises an estimated 20 million people, Mr. Ravi says the task of collecting ballots of such a magnitude is daunting.
The Hindu : Front Page : All for a single voter
The Election Commission on Thursday created history by deploying its men and machinery just to collect one vote, that too in the polling station set up in the Gir forest of Gujarat, sanctuary for the Asiatic lion.

2 comments:

kuttychathan said...

Thank you for juxtaposing that two stories. The babus who conduct elections are very happy whenever elections are held. The usual government regulations regarding expenditure do not apply for election expenses. If only some reporter sought out the amount spent to set up that polling station for a single person..

Dirt Digger said...

All the hoopla for one voter. I wonder if it would not be cheaper to let him mail his vote in?
Say Rs.2 for the stamps, envelope.
Oh but then they would need a post office. Maybe smoke signals or tom-toms?