Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To increase the voting percentage, particularly in urban areas of Madhya Pradesh, the Chief Electoral Office had worked on a proposal suggesting the development of an app to provide a slot booking facility through mobile phones for voters. However, the Election Commission of India has turned down the proposal citing various reasons.
A senior officer from the Chief Electoral Office told Free Press that the ECI rejected the app proposal on grounds including that it could promote discrimination, as those without mobile facilities could be deprived of the facility. Another election officer claimed that the ECI did not want to share voter data and therefore turned down the proposal.
Sources suggest that if the app proposal had been given a nod, high-profile urban voters like senior bureaucrats and businessmen, who often do not turn up to vote, might have considered booking a voting slot, and this could have increased the urban voting percentage. It is understood that the Chief Electoral Office had put a lot of effort into the proposal and planned different time slots for voters. By booking a slot, voters could have found themselves at ease, avoiding long queues.
Departments Cannot Send Proposals To EC Directly Till MCC In Force
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government departments will not send any proposal for anything directly to the Election Commission (EC) as long as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force. Chief Secretary Veera Rana has issued an order for it. Rana set up a committee that will go through all the proposals sent by the departments, and then, it will be put up before the EC.
The committee consists of the principal secretary of the General Administration Department and the officers of the departments that will send the proposal. The departments have to furnish reasons which show that the proposal is very important or whether it can be held back till the election is over. Before sending any proposal, the time limit for such work fixed by the EC should also be considered.
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