The need for “a level playing field” and provisions for migrants to exercise their voting rights were the two issues raised by the BJP in its meeting with the Election Commission here Thursday. The BJP, represented by president J P Nadda and senior leaders Bhupendra Yadav, Arun Singh and Om Pathak, was the second party that the EC met as part of its outreach towards political parties to address their concerns regarding the poll process. On Tuesday, the EC had met BSP president Mayawati to kick off the process. According to BJP sources, the party underlined the necessity for a “level playing field for all political parties, irrespective of whether they are state- or national-level” during its interaction with the poll panel, including Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. “Our delegation said that everyone must play by the rules as they are,” said a BJP leader. The BJP also called for “clean electoral rolls”, sources said, flagging the necessity to ensure that “all citizens eligible to vote are able to exercise their franchise”. “Article 326 of the Constitution guarantees Indian citizens above the age of 18 not only the right to exercise their franchise, but also clearly mandates who is a voter and who is not; the electoral rolls must be clean for the benefit of all,” the BJP leader pointed out. On the question of migrant workers, the BJP said that they are people who had to leave their homes due to “livelihood compulsions”, “which require them to move from state to state”. “They are restricted from going back home to cast their vote and are deprived of their right to exercise their franchise,” the source said, adding: “We sought to underline that for a democracy to be truly representative, everyone, including such citizens, should be able to vote irrespective of their location.” In her interaction with the EC, Mayawati reportedly demanded that 100% of VVPAT slips be counted to ensure that voting was foolproof. Currently, 5% of VVPATs are tallied with the EVM voting per Assembly constitution or segment. The BSP chief is also said to have asked for making the process of expenditure monitoring during elections easier for candidates. In a statement after meeting BJP leaders, the EC said: “These interactions provide for a long-felt need of constructive discussions which enable National and State Party Presidents to share their suggestions and concerns directly with the Commission. This initiative aligns with the Commission’s broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process in accordance with the existing legal framework.”
