KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Saturday directed the Election Commission to consider the feasibility of webcasting or videographing the election process in booths where a number of double votes allegedly exist.Justice N Nagaresh through a special sitting issued the order while disposing of the petition filed by Shanimol Usman, Congress candidate in Aroor Assembly constituency in Alappuzha seeking to permit videography of the polling proceedings in booths, where there are double votes.
She contended that there are more than 2,573 double votes in the constituency where the names of voters appear more than once in the list. The double votes are mostly concentrated in 39 booths in the constituency.Deepu Lal Mohan, counsel for the Election Commission, informed that web-casting has been arranged in 46 per cent of polling booths in Aroor assembly constituency to check double voting and other electoral malpractices.
If the booths which the petitioner had cited did not come in the list of booths where the commission had arranged webcasting, it would consider whether videography or webcasting could be arranged in such booths.The petitioner said that the names of some voters are included in the voters’ list of adjacent constituencies namely, Cherthala and Ernakulam also. If videography of the proceedings in these booths is made, the casting of double votes can easily be curbed and mandate of democracy could be protected.