electoral reform
Orissa Review * January - 2006
Need for Electoral Reforms
Siddhartha Dash
Elections are the life and blood of modern democracies. The health and vitality of parliamentary democracy is sustained by ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections where the verdict of the people finds full expression. The Indian electoral system was free from any major flaw till the fourth general elections in 1967. The distortions in its working appeared, for the first time, in the fifth general elections, 1971 and multiplied in the successive elections, especially those held in the eighties and thereafter.
Money power has played decisive role in elections in the past and continues to do so with greater force today. Suggestion with regard to putting curb on money power is that of state funding. This practice of state funding for political parties to reimburse their poll expenses is prevalent in some countries like Germany,
France, Israel, Canada, Japan, USA etc. In this system, political parties polling a minimum percentage of votes are entitled to subsidy by the state. The Tarkunde Committee Report of 1975, the Goswami Committee Report of 1990, the
Election Commission s Recommendations in
1998 and Indrajit Gupta Committee Report of
1998 produced comprehensive set of recommendations regarding electoral reforms. A few reforms have been implemented like the voting age has been lowered from 21 years to 18 years; increase in the amount of security deposit from
Rs.500 to Rs.10,000 for general constituencies and Rs.250 to Rs.5,000 for reserved constituencies; introduction of electronic voting machine; and making obligatory for candidates for elections to the Lok Sabha and State
Assemblies to declare their criminal background, educational qualifications and economic status at the time of filing nomination papers. But a lot has to be done.
Since winning election has become an end in itself, in addition to money power, muscle power has also
Need for Electoral Reforms
Siddhartha Dash
Elections are the life and blood of modern democracies. The health and vitality of parliamentary democracy is sustained by ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections where the verdict of the people finds full expression. The Indian electoral system was free from any major flaw till the fourth general elections in 1967. The distortions in its working appeared, for the first time, in the fifth general elections, 1971 and multiplied in the successive elections, especially those held in the eighties and thereafter.
Money power has played decisive role in elections in the past and continues to do so with greater force today. Suggestion with regard to putting curb on money power is that of state funding. This practice of state funding for political parties to reimburse their poll expenses is prevalent in some countries like Germany,
France, Israel, Canada, Japan, USA etc. In this system, political parties polling a minimum percentage of votes are entitled to subsidy by the state. The Tarkunde Committee Report of 1975, the Goswami Committee Report of 1990, the
Election Commission s Recommendations in
1998 and Indrajit Gupta Committee Report of
1998 produced comprehensive set of recommendations regarding electoral reforms. A few reforms have been implemented like the voting age has been lowered from 21 years to 18 years; increase in the amount of security deposit from
Rs.500 to Rs.10,000 for general constituencies and Rs.250 to Rs.5,000 for reserved constituencies; introduction of electronic voting machine; and making obligatory for candidates for elections to the Lok Sabha and State
Assemblies to declare their criminal background, educational qualifications and economic status at the time of filing nomination papers. But a lot has to be done.
Since winning election has become an end in itself, in addition to money power, muscle power has also