In a welcoming change, Chief election commissioner Hari Shankar Brahma on Friday said that the poll panel is thinking about internet voting and mobile voting as they would be welcomed by millions of young Indian voters wondering why they can't use their smartphones or tablets to vote in an election.

"It (internet and mobile voting) is a matter of discussion," Brahma said at a seminar in Noida. Later, he told TOI, "The world is changing at a fast and the situation will be different a few years down the line. We need to see the infrastructure and technology needed for this." Brahma also observed that the process, if initiated, would take time as internet penetration in rural areas is not good.

The Supreme Court had, earlier this month, cleared the decks for non-resident Indians to vote in elections after the Centre accepted the EC's recommendation to allow them to vote through an e-ballot system or a proxy. Speaking on the upcoming assembly election in Delhi, the CEC said, "All preparations for the Delhi elections are in place. The polling booths shall be on the ground floor so that disabled and elderly people can cast their votes without facing any trouble."

(Manohar)