T-poll software to make civic polls easier

​Hyderabad: Telangana State Election Commissioner V Nagi Reddy has said that the T-poll software, which is the first of its kind in the country, will be pressed into service in the 2018 elections to local bodies to avoid drudgery, to ensure greater transparency, accountability and quick declaration of results.

Talking to The Hans India, the State Election Commissioner said that the software would render the work of officials as well as contestants easier.

The 73rd Constitutional amendment stipulates that polls to local bodies should be held once in five years. As part of the local body polls, one lakh seats - right from that of a ward member to that of a GHMC Mayor -- will be filled by the Election Commission.

In the gigantic exercise, the scope for errors creeping in is high in spite of foolproof arrangements to hold the polls. Moreover, all work right from preparation of voters' list to declaration of results should be done manually in the absence of the latest software like T-Poll.

Complaints on missing of names from voters' list and delimitation of wards give headaches to the authorities.

With the uploading of voters' list for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections into the T-poll software, the ward-wise and panchayat-wise voters' list will be prepared automatically.

Those who want to download the voters' list and voters' slips they can do it easily. With feeding of names of poll staff into the software,

it allots poll duty, irrespective of the likes and dislikes of the poll staff, randomly appointing them to various panchayats, Nagi Reddy said adding that it gives no room for the poll staff to exhibit nepotism or favouritism.

The local body polls will be held in the state adhering to the rules meant for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The election process begins with the issue of notification.

After the notification, filing of nominations takes place. Sometimes, the nominations are rejected by poll officials on the grounds of technicalities.

However, with the help of the software the nomination form can be filled online and subjected to scrutiny for omissions and commissions.

The software helps place the affidavits submitted by contestants online enabling everyone to read them. To rule out delay in declaring results, the poll officials feed the results into the software, which codifies the results and prepares the database which can be accessed from anywhere.

The software was tested on an experimental basis and found to be working perfectly, Nagi Reddy said adding that it would be used in the next local body polls making the task of officials and contestants a lot easier.

By: Satheesh Kumar Vempati