The People’s Party has raised significant concerns regarding the use of the Election Commission’s mobile app, EMS, for transmitting general election results.
Senator Taj Haider, the In-charge of the Central Election Cell for the People’s Party, penned a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner outlining reservations about the unfamiliarity of the app for electronic transmission of off-count results (Form 45). Haider expressed serious objections, fearing a repetition of the 2018 general elections’ failure of the RTS system, potentially leading to widespread result manipulation due to delays in result compilation by returning officers.
Highlighting that the EMS app is a novel creation by the Election Commission and is being utilized for the first time in elections, Haider pointed out that it requires specific mobile phone models for Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers. These officers must follow a series of steps to download the app and activate their phone cameras, potentially impacting the efficiency and accuracy of election results.
Haider suggested an alternative approach, proposing the use of the widely used WhatsApp instead of EMS. In this alternative, each constituency’s Presiding Officers would be provided with the WhatsApp numbers of candidates and their election agents. They could then create WhatsApp groups for communication, enabling candidates to file complaints promptly, which would be addressed by the respective Presiding Officer.