THOOTHUKUDI: Alleging discrepancies in the Suvidha portal launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for party cadres to seek permission for campaigning activities, several political parties expressed concern over the portal providing services only in English language, its lack of accurate mechanisms to upload documents, instructions to fill forms, among others. The portal, which has been widely used by parties and candidates to secure permissions for rallies and vehicle passes for campaigning purposes, was launched to deliver seamless service for electioneering ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
According to an election department official, the portal functions under a single window comprising a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Regional Transport Officer (RTO) and a fire service officer, who are tasked to approve the applications without any delay. While the returning officer approves the applications seeking intra-district campaign permits, the assistant returning officers clear those applications for the regions under their jurisdiction, the official added.
However, an assistant of a leading party candidate alleged several discrepancies in the portal's services and told TNIE, "There was a separate category for the star campaigner during the last Assembly election in 2021. However, it is missing now. Moreover, when there is a change in the scheduled dates of campaigns, we have to apply manually as the portal allows rescheduling only within 48 hours." He further added that the category to opt for permission to avail vehicles with loudspeaker permit was enlisted only after repeatedly pressing the election officers.
Others also flagged the issue of the portal offering services only in English, wherein the applicant is supposed to fill in a variety of details including the type of vehicle, details of drivers, among others, making the task difficult for those who are not proficient in the language. "The application should be made bilingual, so that it can also support Tamil language. At present, it is not suitable for independent candidates, new contestants and those who are poorly educated, opined an independent candidate.
Another candidate also urged the election officers to conduct a training session for agents and candidates so as to help them understand the provisions of the application. As there is no proper instruction tab or manual, confusion often arises regarding the uploading of pdf documents and filling of forms seeking vehicle permits, the candidate added.