SC to hear Congress leader's plea on VVPATs next week
New Delhi, Aug 10 : The Supreme Court will hear next week a plea by Congress leader Kamal Nath for directions to the Election Commission to carry out verification of VVPAT units in at least 10 per cent randomly selected booths in each constituency of Madhya Pradesh ahead of Assembly polls.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra agreed to hear the matter as the petitioner's lawyer mentioned the matter for early hearing.
Kamal Nath, President of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, has also sought directions to the Election Commission to expeditiously decide all complaints and publish the voters lists thereof.
He has also sought prohibiting of the Election Commission from deleting the names of voters from lists without intimation to the political parties.
The elections to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly are scheduled in November-December and are likely to coincide with those in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.
The senior Congress leader also sought a slew of directions, apart from random VVPAT checks, mock polls and recounting, collection of paper trails and storage, unique identification numbers on VVPATs and paper trail collection boxes, and transportation of EVMs and VVPATs before and after polls.
Referring to the commission's press note that of the total 16.15 lakh Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) units, only 5.88 lakhs have been delivered and there was a delay in their manufacture and procurement, Kamal Nath expressed apprehension that such machines used in Utter Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections are likely to be used in Madhya Pradesh as well.
The petitioner urged for court directions to the Election Commission not to post any officials facing disciplinary proceedings or inquiries, or are on contract basis or on extension after retirement in key posts in different districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Seeking safe and secure transportation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPATs during the Assembly elections, the former Union Minister sought direction to the poll panel to conduct the Assembly elections with the latest tamper-proof EVMs and VVPATs.
The Congress leader sought directions to increase the duration of VVPAT display of exercised votes from present seven seconds to 15 seconds.
He sought a ten-fold increase in the number of VVPATs to be used in mock polls to 50 per cent of the total units.
This is the second time that the Congress had moved the top court before Assembly elections.
The Supreme Court had on December 14 last year declined to entertain Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee plea for directions to the Election Commission to count votes through paper trail attached to the EVMs in 20 per cent of polling booths in Gujarat, where Assembly elections were held in November 2017.
Declining to entertain the plea, the top court had then said: "We can't substitute the Election Commission decision unless you demonstrate it is either arbitrary or not in accordance with law."
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Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi triggers debate over change of Congress state president
Bengaluru, Jan 15: Karnataka Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Wednesday sparked a debate within the ruling Congress over the change of the state president, saying a full-time leader was needed to devote more time to the party in the state.
Currently, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar holds the post.
“It’s not about whether this person or that person should become the party president. The person should give their full time to the party. That’s the only demand, and nothing else,” Jarkiholi told reporters here.
According to him, while there is a lot of discussion happening at the lower levels, it should also take place at the top level.
“It’s not about someone’s adamant posture. We want someone who works, that’s it,” the minister said.
Noting that the decision is up to the party's high command, whether to allow the incumbent to continue or bring in someone new, Jarkiholi emphasised that a discussion at the top level was needed.
The minister added, “The organisational work has decreased since all of us became ministers. We are busy with the work of our portfolios and our districts. We are not going anywhere, and we are not able to devote time to the party.”
He further explained that earlier, Congress leaders were all active in the party organisation, but after becoming ministers, the pressure to handle district-level work left them with little time for the party.
“Our only concern is that the speed with which we worked in 2023 is no longer there,” he said.
Jarkiholi also claimed that the party leadership had intended to change the state president after the Lok Sabha elections, but this has not happened.
“There was talk, and also a written note with K C Venugopal’s signature, stating that the post should be given up after the Lok Sabha elections. So now, they need to clarify whether the same person will continue, or they should gather the leaders and decide on a new president,” he said.
According to him, a few people from the backward community are ready to take up the job.
Reacting to this, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told media in New Delhi that the party high command’s decision was supreme.
When he was told about Jarkiholi’s claim regarding Venugopal’s written letter for a change of the Congress state president, he said, “You better ask him.”
Congress state working president and MLA Tanveer Sait said Jarkiholi had raised this issue in the recent Congress Legislative Party meeting, where it was discussed in detail.
“There is no such information with us regarding a cabinet reshuffle or change of the party president,” he told reporters in Mysuru.
