Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh Seeks Urgent Meeting with ECI to Discuss VVPAT Concerns

Dated 1^st  January 2024’

News written by our Editor in Chief, B R Abdul Wajid.

New Delhi : In a significant development, Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, has penned a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Rajiv Kumar, seeking an appointment to meet with a delegation of INDIA leaders. The primary agenda of the proposed meeting is to discuss concerns related to Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).

The letter, dated 30th December 2023, highlights the persistent efforts made by the INDIA parties to engage with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and associated issues. Despite submitting a memorandum on August 9th, 2023, supported by multiple follow-up requests, the INDIA Parties’ delegation has not been granted an audience with the ECI.

On August 23, 2023, the ECI responded with a generic clarification, directing the INDIA Parties to refer to standard FAQs on EVMs, summarizing relevant court judgments, and presenting election result data since 2004. However, no meeting or hearing was arranged, leaving the concerns unaddressed.

Following up on October 2nd, 2023, with a representation that raised specific concerns unaddressed in the ECI’s clarification, and receiving no response, the INDIA parties made another attempt on December 20th, 2023. They sought an appointment to discuss and provide suggestions on the use of VVPATs, based on a resolution passed at a meeting of INDIA party leaders the previous day. Despite their efforts, a meeting with the ECI has not materialized.

Shri Jairam Ramesh, in his letter, expresses the urgency and legitimacy of the request, emphasizing the need for a 3-4 member team of INDIA party leaders to present their point of view on VVPATs.