news details |
|
|
| Costs of contesting elections | | | | There were times when credibility, honesty and will to serve the public would decide the prospects of a candidate contesting elections or later winning them. Today is the era of material strengths without which survival in politics is next to impossible. It takes huge monetary investment to build a stature for being in reckoning for the race. Then it, invariably, takes a lost of money to stake claim for a party ticket. Next phase –actually contesting elections –is such a costly affair anyone who is in the public and meets all criteria for serving them does not necessarily qualify for this phase. Aspirant needs to have deep pockets to go about this phase. Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami expressed his concern saying that money and muscle power is a big hurdle in holding of transparent elections. The comment of Chief Election Commissioner of our country reveals the pain of the common people and their voice. Since achieving independence the nation has been holding elections for electing members to the civic bodies, legislative assemblies, Lok Sabha, cooperative bodies and vested people have used muscle and money power. No state is untouched with this incurable disease. Such complaints are to be found with the political parties and their leaders. Not only the democratic system is getting hurt but people having criminal records of theft, dacoity, murder, violence, rape, cheating are getting elected to represent democracy. Even in the bypolls, there is rampant use of money and muscle power to garner extra votes. At times ballot boxes are found smeared with blood. The Election Commission since the beginning has been intending to hold transparent elections without money and muscle power. Former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan started this campaign. Results of this campaign have been positive. People in the country believe that the situation could be changed with strictness of Election Commission. Expressing his concern the Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalswami said that for holding free and fair polls, a large number of security personnel have to be deployed. Gopalswami gave information that nearly 4 lakh 55 thousand security personnel had to be deployed during last elections in Uttar Pradesh. This is not a good sign for a country noted for its democratic way of life in the world. Political parties would have to change their mindset and selection process of the candidates so that people having clean image only get elected to the august houses. This is possible only when both the parties and the electorate are serious in selection of candidates. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
