ECI : Proposed Electoral Reforms

To enhance the quality of democracy in India, the Election Commission of India has proposed electoral reforms in 2016. What are the suggested reforms and how for are they significant to make democracy successful.

    The Election Commission of India had published “Proposed Electoral Reforms” in Dec 2016. It proposes to

• Cleanse political funding,
• Decriminalize politics and
• Curb misuse of religion electoral gain
• Enhance the autonomy of Election Commission of India (ECI).

    The suggested reforms have been taken up with the Law Commission, which too has given its recommendations. Some measures proposed by ECI are,

Decriminalization of politics:

• Disqualification of candidates charged with cognizable offences
• Making bribery a cognizable offence
• Prevention of abuse of money
• Allowing power to ECI to countermand elections where abuse of money has accused.

Transparency in funding of political parties.

• Prohibition of anonymous funding.
• Compulsory maintenance of accounts by political parties.
• Sale of coupons for lesser denomination and maintaining receipts for even small donations.
• Ban income tax exemption for political parties that do not contest elections.
• Cap anonymous donations
• Cap party expenditure on a candidate for election campaign.
• Ceiling on campaign expenditure by parties

Election Campaign and Advertisements:

• Criminalizing paid news
• Ban on exit polls and opinion polls
• Ban on government sponsored advertisements before elections.

Empowering the ECI:

• Rule making authority to be vested on ECI
• Power to countermand elections in care of bribery on the lines of countermanding in the events of booth Capturing.
• Constitutional protection to all the members similar to the one provided to Chief Election Commissioner
• Budget of the commission to be ‘Charged’.
• Independent secretariat for the commission.

Election Logistics and Technology Adaption.

• Empowering District Election officer to requisition staff.
• Use of totalizer machines for counting votes.

The changes sought by ECI would qualitatively impact the functioning of democracy in India. Though ECI has used the vast powers under Article 324 to conduct free and fair elections giving statutory recognition to the reforms proposed by ECI would send a clear signal about the government’s intent and bring in increased transparency and accountability to elections in India.