Law ministry against troops' local ballot

NEW DELHI: The government has decided to oppose local voting rights to armed forces personnel deployed at peace stations, less than 10 months after the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that it was okay with the option as an alternative to postal ballot and proxy voting.

The law ministry is planning to file an affidavit in the SC soon rejecting local voting rights for Army , IAF and Navy personnel, both in forward disturbed areas and peace stations, on grounds that it would reveal troop po sitioning, putting national security under threat.

The government is against the move as it would reveal: troop-strength and positioning through electoral rolls; where the Army is deployed in large numbers in a remote and thinly-populated area, thus influencing the outcome; and, lastly , it would be prone to misuse as the government could redeploy troops in areas where it wants to alter voting patterns.

However, the government, keen to ensure better participation of forces in polls, has proposed allowing ballots to be sent electronically to troops. This comes close on the heels of the SC allowing a similar option for nonresident Indians (NRIs). But, as in the case of NRIs, the ballot will have to be filled up in hard copy and come back as a postal ballot.