Growing violence in elections is worrisome, says CEC

Readers wrote in to congratulate the CEC on the good show in Uttar Pradesh. We also received thousands of letters from people spread all over the world right from Atlanta to Azamgarh asking him a host of questions. Although the number of questions that came in was huge, they could generally be categorised in 6-7 categories. And since it is impossible to respond to all individually, we have clubbed them together in the appropriate category and appended the CEC’s answers.

What is your take on the criminalisation of politics?

I am saddened by the rampant criminalisation of politics. Over the years, the number of people with criminal antecedents filing nominations and winning elections has gone up considerably. The incidence of chargesheeted people filing for nominations and being elected has gone up steadily in many States.

In Uttar Pradesh itself, around 15% of the contestants had criminal charges against them. We had suggested that all those who have been accused of an offence in which the sentence was five years or more (and not those who have an FIR lodged against them) be kept out of the poll fray if they have been chargesheeted for the same.

We further suggested that if a chargesheet has been filed within six months prior to the poll then it should be ignored, as manipulation could be alleged. However, this did not gain political consensus and was rejected by various parties, who felt that they could be victimised by cases being filed against them and chargesheets issued using pressure.

The rise of violence in Indian elections...

The growing trend of violence in and during electoral processes is worrisome, and it seems to be getting serious. The number of gun licences issued in UP in the past 3 years itself has shot through the roof. Political parties seem to have lost faith in the local police and administration which goes on to show the general deterioration that has systematically taken place over the past 3-4 decades.

For all state elections Central Para Military Force is demanded but I don’t think in the long run it is a sustainable idea. In UP itself, we deployed around 5 lakh paramilitary forces for the month-long process. The politicisation of the state police force leaves us with no choice but to get central forces on board in order to continue the process. Personally, I long for a situation like that in Australia where not a single cop is employed to man the booths. Ordinary people volunteer to do the work.

How about an option to exercise the “none of the above” category?

I know this has been a recurring thought with most voters, who are unimpressed by the available choices and would like to exercise their franchise. However, our proposal to amend law for this purpose has not found favour with the lawmakers. Even if it is provided in rural India it may not make much difference as most voters still go by party symbols.

Do you agree with the idea of a two-party system mooted by President Kalam?

I am of the view that India still has a long way to go before it can get ready to welcome the two-party system. In the present scheme of things, I don’t think this is completely feasible as our structure is very different from European nations where such models have been a success. Being a multi-party democracy, and managing a coalition central government, India’s political milieu is different.

You have been able to complete the unfinished task started by T N Seshan. Comment

T N Seshan has been a pioneering personality in the field of electoral reforms in India. It was he who brought about the much-needed changes. He demonstrated how the powers given to the Commission under the Constitution itself can be effectively used. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be where we are now. The credit for this goes to him entirely.

Do you agree with exit polls?

Personally, I feel that exit polls should be made public only in the last phase of the polls. For a seven-phase elections like Uttar Pradesh which was spread over a month, announcing exit poll results in instalments has the capacity to sway voters.

Election Commission, an apolitical body...

Yes, the Election Commission has largely been an apolitical body, functioning in an autonomous manner. What we need now is bipartisan participation in the appointment of members, without political leanings. We have tried to function apolitically as much as possible. In UP this time around, we transferred around 300 odd thanedaars in order to ensure that the process did not come under any suspicion. Although it is difficult to operate at the micro level, we have been trying to ensure that favouritism doesn’t figure anywhere.