COVID has unleashed greater and most effective means of utilising communication technologies, practically removing all human interaction. The age-old adage “Necessity is the mother of invention" couldn't have been better at display. Challenging problems require extraordinary solutions. Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest icons of the struggle for establishment of a democratic form of governance, once famously remarked: “An educated, enlightened and informed population is one of the surest ways of promoting the health of a democracy."
The fundamental basis of an effective democracy is the enlightenment, effective interaction and active participation of the voter populace in order that the right choice for the political leader or outfit is made. Hence, any development that disseminates information to the voter directly of the concerned issues, during elections is a welcome step for democracy.
In this context, when a petitioner approached the Uttarakhand High Court for postponement of elections, the Court's order on January 5, 2022, is laudable. It directed the Election Commission of India to consider a "virtual mode” of campaigning along with the online method of voting.
Given past experience, large public meetings attract hundreds of thousands of people. This is detrimental to health standards and promotes the spread of the pandemic. Two things come to the fore and deserve focus-virtual campaigning (read webcasting) and online voting.
The Dinesh Goswami (former law minister) Committee on Electoral Reforms of 1990 was the first to discuss state funding of elections, which led to the discussion of virtual campaigning through TV and radio as there were no internet technologies then. Today, when we speak of virtual campaigning, it would include the electronic media, internet and social media, which are available in the form of online and mobile technologies.
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