An approach that combines several options will enable a significant share of inter- and intra-State migrants to exercise their right to vote
Bihar and migration and elections :
Bihar, a State with one of the largest out-migration populations in India, is going to the polls later this year.
This time, again a significant proportion of the State’s population will be unable to exercise their franchise.
Loksabha election and Bihar tournout
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, voter turnout in Bihar was 56%, significantly lower than the national average of 66%.
low voter turnout was the large migrant population, which was unable to return home to vote.
Patterns of migration
In 2021, the overall migration rate in India was 28.9%.
Reason :
1 A significant portion of migration in India is for marriage, especially among women.
2 Around 10%, however, migrate for work.
Bihar state :
This number is significantly higher in certain northern and eastern States such as Bihar.
With an ever-increasing number of migrants travelling from poorer to richer areas in search of employment,
In an attempt to solve the issue :
The Election Commission of India (ECI) put forth a concrete proposal in 2024.
But no single mechanism for voting for migrants has been implemented.
Different kinds of policies and mechanisms are needed to enable voting for different kinds of migrants (intra and inter-State migrants).
Intra-State migrants :
(around 85% of migrants) working in the informal sector could be encouraged to travel relatively shorter distances to vote in their original place of residence.
Holiday on voters day :
Stricter enforcement of the statutory holiday on polling day would ensure that these workers are able to travel to vote without loss of wages.
Special bus services :
could also be scheduled on the eve of and on polling day.
Different mechanisms
Inter-State migrants And Three possibilities :
Large scale workers and policy
first is an option designed to cater to the large population of migrants in irregular and low-paying jobs, such as in the construction sector.
Workers in these jobs may not have permanent residences with address proofs.
Remote voting machine
1 In 2023, the ECI showcased a pilot project of remote electronic voting machines -
2 Each of these was an EVM modified to cater to up to 72 constituencies.
3 Political parties objected to this project. They said there was ambiguity over its functioning.
They also cited issues such as problems in
- identification of migrants
- Code of Conduct being in place in the constituency where the migrant was residing.
- project also appeared to be administratively difficult to implement at scale:
when a large State with a large out-migration population goes to the polls,
migrants from the State who currently reside across the country would be required to notify the ECI months in advance so that the ECI can make the necessary arrangements on polling day.
Bihar and remote voting machine
If the ECI finds that in a given city, there are migrants from all 243 constituencies of Bihar, it would need to set up at least four RVMs across the city.
.
Second is postal ballots
This system is already being implemented by the ECI for members of the armed forces.
An extension of this model could help many migrants.
Here, too, the ECI would require migrants to register with the body well in advance, so the postal ballots can be issued. Operationally, this appears to be the easier form of remote voting to implement.
However, the ECI would have to organise registration, issue ballot papers, and despatch these ballots to counting centres after voting — all major administrative efforts.
The last option — switching voting constituencies
is suitable for the longer term for more permanent migrants who can prove their residence in a constituency for at least six months.
This will empower them to pressure governments to implement more migrant-friendly policies.
.
Separately, as a significant number of migrant populations across the country are women who migrate after marriage, voting drives could also be carried out to enrol these women on the voter lists of their new place of residence.
A mixed approach
Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. Enabling voting by migrants is a complex task and is made more complex by the heterogeneity of migrants. Therefore, an approach that uses all these options will enable a significant share of both inter- and intra-State salaried and casual migrants to exercise their right to vote.
Source the hindu
Comments
Post a Comment