DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal said that in the era of information technology, the Election Commission of India is also continuously becoming more high-tech. For this year's Lok Sabha general elections, the Election Commission has launched several mobile apps and portals, facilitating political parties and candidates in the implementation of activities related to the election process, along with the Commission.

In this series, through the Suvidha portal (https://suvidha.eci.gov.in) launched by the Commission, online permissions are being provided for election campaign activities. So far, 207 requests have been received from various political parties and candidates in Haryana.

He said that the Suvidha portal is a technological solution developed by ECI to ensure a level playing-field upholding the democratic principles of free, fair and transparent elections.

The Suvidha Portal streamlined the process of obtaining and acting upon requests for permissions and facilities from political parties and candidates during the election period.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that recognizing the importance of the election campaign period, where parties and candidates engage in activities to reach out to voters, the Suvidha Portal caters to a diverse range of permission requests transparently on the First in First Out principle.

It caters to permissions for organizing rallies, opening temporary party offices, door-to-door canvassing, video vans, helicopters, obtaining vehicle permits, and distributing pamphlets.

Anurag Agarwal said that political parties and candidates can seamlessly submit permission requests online from anywhere, at any time. Additionally, offline submission options are available to ensure inclusivity and equal opportunity for all stakeholders. Suvidha also has a companion app that enables applicants to track the status of their requests in real time, adding further convenience and transparency to the process.

Furthermore, the permission data available on the portal serves as a valuable resource for scrutinising election expenditures, contributing to greater accountability and integrity in the electoral process, he added.


(editor@dailyworld.in)