India 2018

404 India 2018
There was a proposal to amend the Constitution and to provide for reservation
in Parliament and state legislatures.
Electronic Voting Machines
The use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) was started in the country on
experiment basis in 1982. It took more than two decades for the universal use of
EVMs and during the General Elections to the Lok Sabha in 2004, EVMs were
used in all polling stations across the country. Thereafter EVMs are being used
in all the elections of the House of the People and state assemblies. The EVMs
were developed at the behest of the Election Commission jointly with two Public
Sector Undertakings, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bangalore (BEL) and
Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Hyderabad (ECIL) in 1989.
Electors' Photo Identity Cards
The use of electors' photo identity cards by the Election Commission was started
in 1993 throughout the country to check bogus voting and impersonation of
electors at elections. The electoral roll is the basis for issue of EPICs to the
registered electors. The electoral rolls are normally revised every year with 1st
January of the year as the qualifying date. Every Indian citizen who attains the
age of 18 years or above as on that date is eligible for inclusion in the electoral
roll and can apply for the same. Once he is registered in the roll, he would be
eligible for getting an EPIC. The scheme of issuing the EPICs is, therefore, a
continuous and ongoing process for the completion of which no time limit can
be fixed.
However, constant efforts are being made to issue EPIC to all such persons
whose names have already been enrolled in the electoral roll, as early as possible.
Some of them are: (i) special photography campaigns are organised to make
EPIC of all voters; (ii) voters are allowed to give copies of their photographs
which are scanned for making EPIC; (iii) booth level officers are appointed by
the Commission to collect photographs and make EPIC of all voters; (iv ) 25th
January has been declared as the National Voters' Day to focus on enrolment of
voters and making EPIC; (v) special publicity campaign is undertaken to inform
electors of the procedure of preparation of EPIC; and (vi) instruction has been
issued that the EPIC number once issued will be valid throughout the elector's
life even if address changes.
Voting Rights to the Citizens of India Living Abroad
Section 19 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 provides that every
person who is not less than eighteen years of age on the qualifying date and is
ordinarily resident in constituency shall be entitled to be registered in the
electoral rolls for that constituency. The meaning of ''ordinarily resident'' is laid
down in Section 20 of the said Act. It has been specified under Chapter-III in
the Hand Book for Electoral Registration Officers that a person who has gone
out of the country for business or employment should be treated as having