Indian Electioneering System : Challenges and Remedies
The Election Commission of India conducts the elections in India while the State Election Commissions are responsible for conducting the whole election process from arranging the peaceful nominations to publishing the results. The Election Commission has made many successful reformations such as accountability and transparency in the electioneering system so far since its inception. Though it is a hard task for the Election Commission to manage the entire election that starts from notification of elections, arrangement of polling personnel, receiving nominations and checking them, preparing the voting machines and examining them all, training the election managers and officers, deployment of security personnel, arrangement of conveyance, selection of strong rooms, polling booths, and finally the counting and publication of results. The BDOs, SDOs, DMs, SPs and officials of various departments including education, bank, cooperative, irrigation and others work round the clock under the Election Commission to complete the entire elections.
In the whole election process the election officers have to perform hundreds of kinds of works to make a successful election. There are media, opposition parties as well academicians and critics who are very much careful in the happenings of elections in either a state or in the whole country. I have seen so many BDOs, Deputy Magistrates and Police Officers to work tirelessly from prior to the declaration of election days up to the publication of results. However, this article comes out from the pains this author felt as a result of ongoing riots, political instability, hooliganism, threat and counter threats, show of muscle powers, and ultimately murders of human leaves.
I want to ask you a few questions as a common citizen? First. can you give back the lives that finished during filing the nominations? Second, was there any MLA/MP died? Third, why the government or election commission could not formulate such a directive that is full proof. India is going to be a development nation. And if the world is witnessing such a blood bath and political hooliganism irrespective of parties. What impression would reach to the world's big powers regarding India and West Bengal in particular? When you meet them in global forums, international platforms and others and seek for trade ties, setting up their companies, and investment, would they believe n you, would they respond to your call? They will just return you with a simple smile and at best assurance, but not with investment.
Being a peace-loving citizen of this country and particularly of West Bengal I feel much pain to see the turmoil political situation before almost every election. This happened in early elections from local to national. The ruling parties always try to get the elections conducted with state police and on the contrary, the opposition seeks for union interference with security forces. This has been a trend in Indian politics. However, threatening during nomination and showing of money and muscle power, use of alcohol and other intoxicated items are common. These things are fully known to all the political parties, bureaucracy and common citizenry. Do the Election Commission and Judiciary are unaware of these? It does not seem so. However, without going details (please see my book The Thoughts of and Unknown Indian, Scholars' Press, Germany, pp. 425-466) what happens during elections - from filing nominations, conducting elections at polling booths to counting - I would only focus on how to save life of common people including police personnel in the entire election process.
First. Introduce E-Filing of nominations in the election portal with a copy to BDO, SDO, DM, office.
Get the nomination papers online and it should be countersigned by the authorized party office bearers. This is for all India level parties, but for independent candidates, they can send directly, But there should be reasonable bars on them or a quota or some other policies might be thought of regarding them. Moreover, all the necessary documents including income certificate, educational qualification, assets, character certificates, criminal cases etc. should be furnished with attestation from District Magistrates. or concerned authorities.
To be continued.
In the whole election process the election officers have to perform hundreds of kinds of works to make a successful election. There are media, opposition parties as well academicians and critics who are very much careful in the happenings of elections in either a state or in the whole country. I have seen so many BDOs, Deputy Magistrates and Police Officers to work tirelessly from prior to the declaration of election days up to the publication of results. However, this article comes out from the pains this author felt as a result of ongoing riots, political instability, hooliganism, threat and counter threats, show of muscle powers, and ultimately murders of human leaves.
I want to ask you a few questions as a common citizen? First. can you give back the lives that finished during filing the nominations? Second, was there any MLA/MP died? Third, why the government or election commission could not formulate such a directive that is full proof. India is going to be a development nation. And if the world is witnessing such a blood bath and political hooliganism irrespective of parties. What impression would reach to the world's big powers regarding India and West Bengal in particular? When you meet them in global forums, international platforms and others and seek for trade ties, setting up their companies, and investment, would they believe n you, would they respond to your call? They will just return you with a simple smile and at best assurance, but not with investment.
Being a peace-loving citizen of this country and particularly of West Bengal I feel much pain to see the turmoil political situation before almost every election. This happened in early elections from local to national. The ruling parties always try to get the elections conducted with state police and on the contrary, the opposition seeks for union interference with security forces. This has been a trend in Indian politics. However, threatening during nomination and showing of money and muscle power, use of alcohol and other intoxicated items are common. These things are fully known to all the political parties, bureaucracy and common citizenry. Do the Election Commission and Judiciary are unaware of these? It does not seem so. However, without going details (please see my book The Thoughts of and Unknown Indian, Scholars' Press, Germany, pp. 425-466) what happens during elections - from filing nominations, conducting elections at polling booths to counting - I would only focus on how to save life of common people including police personnel in the entire election process.
First. Introduce E-Filing of nominations in the election portal with a copy to BDO, SDO, DM, office.
Get the nomination papers online and it should be countersigned by the authorized party office bearers. This is for all India level parties, but for independent candidates, they can send directly, But there should be reasonable bars on them or a quota or some other policies might be thought of regarding them. Moreover, all the necessary documents including income certificate, educational qualification, assets, character certificates, criminal cases etc. should be furnished with attestation from District Magistrates. or concerned authorities.
To be continued.
Comments
Post a Comment