Monday, October 5, 2015

[IAC#RG] ELECTION COMMISSION NOW A TOOTHLESS BODY

To
India Against Corruption

                                     ELECTION COMMISSION NOW A TOOTHLESS BODY

 

It is distressing to know  that in the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls, more than 170 candidates have criminal cases against them including murder charges and  137 of them contesting from 37 seats have been booked for serious non bailable  offences. 

While the criminals and politicians are incorrigible, the fact that so many criminals are contesting in the election only point to the fact that Election Commission of India has become a  toothless body. It is merely functioning as an administrator of election rather than a constitutional body, which is aware of it's role and responsibilities to conduct elections in a free and fair manner, which means that criminals should not be allowed to contest.

Just  like the judiciary, election commission is also a constitutional body, with inherent powers  which may not be in the rule book but can be exercised according to the exigencies .

 However,  election commissioners  are just retired bureaucrats, who are accustomed to  toe the dictates of politicians  and  who mostly  consider  their personal priorities  and career interests  in taking  any decision.

The criminals who are allowed to contest elections have made the Indian election process a mockery and election commission is fully responsible for this  dismal scenario.

Election commissioners have the inherent powers to cleanse  the election system  and they can certainly  ban those from contesting elections,  against whom criminal charges have been admitted in the court

Now, Indian democracy is paying too big a price for having election commissioners who do not want to do anything to cleanse  the system and have no motives to do anything beyond simply handling elections in a routine way with cosmetic warnings once in a way , which no criminal or politician take note of anymore. 

N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice For The Deprived

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