7. Other important issues related to Elections and Electoral Reforms in India
7.1. Independence of the Election CommissionDemands made by ECI7.2. Simultaneous ElectionsNeed for Simultaneous Elections:1. Governance2. Legislative working3. EconomyIMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS OF VARIOUS COMMITTEES ON SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONSChallenges related to Simultaneous Elections:Way Forwardo Ban on all private, especially corporate funds should be considered.7.3. Exit polls & Opinion pollsSignificanceenhancing our deliberative democracy.TimelineWay Forward7.4. Umesh Sinha Committee on Section 126 of Representation of the People Act, 19517.5. Reforms related to Electoral Finance7.5.1. Funding to Political Parties & Electoral BondsBackgroundImpact of these reformsChallengesWay forward7.5.2. State Funding of ElectionsArguments in favour of state fundingArguments against state funding7.6. Issues related to Electronic Voting Machines7.6.1. Doubts raised over Electronic Voting MachinesAbout Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)History of EVMs in Indian Elections7.6.2. Use of Totalizer MachinesTotalizer MachinesWay Ahead