THE Punjab government’s lethargy is puzzling. Repeating a demand that it had last made about eight months ago, the ECP has once again asked it to do away with a law mandating the use of electronic voting machines and introducing i-voting in local government elections. However, there seems to be little enthusiasm about taking the matter up. The ECP has made it clear it cannot use EVMs or i-voting technologies in the still-pending LG polls, which Section 47(1) of the Punjab Local Government Act obligates it to implement. Though the Punjab government previously changed the rules to revoke the requirement, the relevant LG law remains unchanged, which presents a legal hurdle for the ECP. It may be recalled that similar provisions in the Elections Act had been repealed by the PDM government at the federal level soon after it came to power. Any requirement to use EVMs and i-voting as a mandatory part of an electoral exercise has been consistently opposed by the ECP on technical grounds, which mainly concern the logistical challenges involved in rolling out such a large-scale revamp of the electoral exercise.

It may be recalled that the chief election commissioner had described the previous Punjab government’s decision to implement EVMs and i-voting in local government polls as “a stunt meant to drag [its] feet on the already delayed electoral exercise”. However, with the PTI and its allies having been replaced by an interim government which is on more than friendly terms with the centre, it is puzzling why the ‘stunt’ still hasn’t been undone. The legal limits on the interim government’s powers surely cannot be the reason, considering it hasn’t exactly been shy about bending the rules. The electoral body, meanwhile, seems more than ready to conduct the exercise. Could it be that the political parties themselves are a little unwilling to hold LG polls in Punjab, with the fate of the general election still up in the air? It stands to reason that all parties will be keen to grab as much power as they can in the province after the ‘curtailment’ of the PTI. However, with the contenders still uncertain about whether or not they need to stick together for the near future, could it be that they are simply avoiding a political clash that could create complications for the centre?

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023