DIGITAL e-VOTING:SAVING TO STATE EXCHEQUER

In 1997 whilst doing the engineering degree course in the College of Military Engineering, Pune I borrowed a book from my batchmate Captain (later Lt Col) Mohit Nakhre to read. The book was "The Road Ahead" authored by Bill Gates. In the book Bill Gates talked about e-wallets. I laughed off the idea that time thinking that it is an utopian idea for India as mobile phones and personal computers were far and few and very expensive and only the rich and elite could afford them then. It was that era when we would enter the Computer Lab only after removing our shoes outside the room. Laptops were unheard of then.

Circa 2022. Today even a vegetable vendor accepts digital payments and physical visits to the banks are rare as all banking functions can be easily done online and laptops have become cheaper than desktop computers. The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us all many a lesson – both good and bad. One of the lessons it taught us is Work from Home (WFH). Corporate houses the world over during this pandemic encouraged WFH and many businesses deals worth crores of rupees were negotiated using WFH, apart from shopping online. The internet saw its fullest utilisation during this pandemic. During the third wave of Covid-19 or the Omicron variant wave as it is generally referred to that peaked in January 2022 in our country, the Election Commission (EC) of India in a correct move for a large part of elections that the 5 states are going through these days, permitted only virtual political rallies and kept the number of persons in door to door canvassing to a miniscule strength. This not only kept the pandemic in check but also saved a lot of tax payers money on security arrangements for the mega political rallies that are organised by all political parties. Sample this. The 2019 General Elections costed the state exchequer Rs 50,000 crores to be conducted and the state assembly elections in Maharashtra in 2019 costed Rs 913 crores. The assembly elections take place every 5 years in the 28 states and 8 union territories that we have in the country. Taking a modest average of Rs 400 for conducting each state/union territory assembly elections, we as a nation spend Rs 14,400 crores on the conduct of the state/union territory assembly elections. This translates to the country spending Rs 64,400 crore rupees in conducting the general and the state assembly elections every 5 years if the cost of conducting the general elections and the state/union territory assembly elections is summed up. Do we really need to spend such a vast amount on conducting elections when cheaper and convenient methods can be used to conduct the elections, thereby saving the state exchequer an enormous amount of money? As in 2021, 61% of the Indian population had access to internet and this number is increasing rapidly. In my opinion all future elections should follow this mode of virtual rallies and miniscule people in door to door canvassing as it will save enormous amount of tax payers money. A future cut-off date should be specified by the EC after which no physical political rallies should be allowed in any election and all canvassing should be done virtually and door to door with a miniscule strength. It is high time we have digital e-voting (internet based electronic voting). If we can do digital payments, I am sanguine digital e-voting too is practical. It will enable any Indian citizen to vote from any corner of the world and will obviate the physical presence of the voter at the polling booth, thereby apart from being convenient it will have immense saving to the state exchequer.

With the best Information Technology (IT) companies in India and Indian software engineers literally ruling the roost in the Silicon Valley, USA a secure and a viable system of digital e-voting can easily be devised. It is also important that while awarding the contract for making a safe and a secure software for digital e-voting, the central government should not go for the L-1 (lowest one) bidder. Suitable rules should be incorporated in the tender so that only the world class and reputed software companies bid for the tender. This saving to state exchequer by the way of adopting digital e-voting can be then utilised to make world class government hospitals and government schools and make them free for every Indian citizen. (Lt Col JS Sodhi (Retd) writer who retired from the Indian Army is a prolific writer)