Rajya Sabha set to discuss poll reforms

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha is all set to witness an interesting debate on electoral reforms on Wednesday with the Government likely to try and focus on ‘One Nation One Poll’ and the Opposition sneaking in the matter of EVM versus ballot papers.

The government acceded to hold the debate after 14 Opposition parties had given a notice to hold a short duration discussion on Electoral Reforms last week.

The parties which sent the notice are—Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Telugu Desam Party, the People’s Democratic Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Aam Admi Party, the Kerala Mani Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Communist Party of India and the Trinamul Congress.

The Trinamul Congress is likely to move the motion for the discussion.

Sources said that after the initial intertia, Opposition parties have started informal talks with each other over floor coordination if only in the Upper House.

A case in example was the discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir extension of President’s Rule where the Opposition parties spoke with each other and decided to field Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad towards the end rather than open the debate from Opposition ranks.

Similarly, it has been decided that the discussion on electoral reforms would see BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra focussing on EVMs and ballot papers while the Trinamul Congress and other parties would speak on wrong use of social media and corporate funding.  The move to send the notice for a discussion comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the Congress for questioning the efficacy of EVMs.