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| Credibility of last credible institute | | |
Despite a mild yet powerful controversy in the recent days, the Election Commission of India is perhaps the last institute in the country where have their faith intact. The Commission came into prominence with TN Seshan taking strong measures a decade and half back but what really made this institution trustworthy, impartial and fair was the manner in which the 2002 elections were conducted in Jammu and Kashmir. Held in the backdrop of wide allegation of rigging coming in for decades, the elections in 2002 were the first ever opportunity when an incumbent government was changed by the public mandate and not by the invisible forces that played their roles in the past. Elections in India are many things to their many players — politicians, administrators and the people. The overriding message, though, is that they are a triumph — and a celebration — of democracy. The message is often lost in the dust and dirt that cloud the polls, and in the cynicism that they generate. Yet, for all the systemic failures, democratic elections make India stand out in a region where failed states have almost become the norm. True, there are many aspects of the elections that need drastic reforms. Far too many flaws make the electoral process imperfect and sometimes plainly unfair. But the last thing the country needs is an Election Commission plagued by bickering among its members. It is one of a handful of institutions that enjoy constitutional protection from political or administrative interferences. The open differences between the chief election commissioner, N. Gopalaswami, and his colleague, Navin Chawla, were an unseemly episode, to say the least. The elections face the twin challenges from unscrupulous politicians and increasing public cynicism. Nothing should therefore be done to dilute the authority of the commission or tarnish its image. However, so much remains to be done in order to clean up the electoral system. It is a pity that some very practical recommendations for electoral reform, made by an earlier commission in 2004, have only gathered dust all these years. Neither the Union government nor Opposition members of parliament showed any interest in looking up, let alone implementing, the proposals for reform. Gopalaswami has talked of the EC “taking note” of the illegal use of money power in elections. Many CECs before him had said much the same things about the use of money and muscle power in the polls. Nothing changed. The fault lies primarily with the political parties, which cause, and then thrive on, the failures of the system. The EC can suggest changes, but it is up to the government and the parties to show the political will to implement the changes. The reforms can begin with something as simple as regularly changing party candidates. A small outfit, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, has shown the way this time by dropping all its three sitting Lok Sabha members from West Bengal for the coming polls. The ballot, for all its flaws, is still the only real hope for change, big or small.
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