The Rajya Sabha today took up a Short Duration discussion on the electoral reforms in the post-lunch session. Members sought bold reforms like use of voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines in polling, state funding of elections and audit of election spending by political parties. <br/><br/>Intervening in the discussion, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi rejected the allegations of tampering of EVMs in recently held Assembly elections in five States. He said, opposition should respect the public mandate and not question the EVMs. He said, the same machines were used in previous elections which Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP had emerged victorious. Mr Naqvi however, said that the government is in favour of electoral reforms and it will welcome constructive suggestions. <br/><br/>Participating in the discussion, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Election Commission has been effectively functioning since its inception in 1951. He said the Commission has not only improved its functioning by adopting several suggestions but has also left its imprint on the electoral system of many countries. He demanded the audit of funds received by political parties. Referring to the outcome of the recently concluded assembly elections in states, particularly, Uttar Pradesh, Mr Azad said it has created doubts among people about the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).<br/><br/>Earlier, initiating the discussion, Mukul Roy of the Trinamool Congress said the Election Commission should address the complaints on the possible manipulation of EVMs. Bhupender Yadav of the BJP stressed the need for holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, Assembly and Panchayats in the future. He said it will not only save money but will also make it possible for the parties and candidates winning elections to concentrate on governance.Mr Yadav said that his party has always been in favour of bringing down poll expenses and giving level-playing field to all parties.<br/><br/>Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party demanded that the expenditure of the party should be included in expenditure of the candidate. Regarding EVM, he said the technology is so much advance that EVM can be misused. Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United), said when BJP was in opposition, it had raised doubts about the EVMs. Sitaram Yechury of CPM demanded proportional representation in the election. Mr Yechury also demanded state funding of elections to minimize the role of money and muscle power. Satish Chandra Mishra of BSP demanded voting should be done through ballet paper and not EVMs. He said recently held assembly election in Uttar Pradesh should be cancelled. <br/>

The Rajya Sabha has taken up a Short Duration discussion on the electoral reforms in the post-lunch session. Participating in the discussion, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Election Commission has been effectively functioning since its inception in 1951. He said the Commission has not only improved its functioning by adopting several suggestions but has also left its imprint on the electoral system of many countries. He demanded the audit of funds received by political parties. <br/><br/>Referring to the outcome of the recently concluded assembly elections in states, particularly, Uttar Pradesh, Mr Azad said it has created doubts among people about the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Initiating the discussion, Mukul Roy of the Trinamool Congress said the Election Commission should address the complaints on the possible manipulation of EVMs.<br/><br/>Bhupender Yadav of the BJP stressed the need for holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, Assembly and Panchayats in the future. He said it will not only save money but will also make it possible for the parties and candidates winning elections to concentrate on governance. He said elections should not be considered as an end but a means to good governance. <br/><br/>Mr Yadav said that his party has always been in favour of bringing down poll expenses and giving level-playing field to all parties. He also underlined the need for democratising the party organizations. Recalling the use of e-ballot by armed force personnel in the recent past, Mr Yadav urged members to consider moving towards e-ballot.