In defence of the electoral rolls reform exercise

SIR will add some more conviction to the global belief that India does its elections well

- Swapan Dasgupta

More than 50 years ago, a venerable British scholar of Indian politics wryly observed that elections are one of those things “Indians do rather well”.

Coming in the backdrop of fears — not entirely illegitimate — of India’s democracy being put on permanent hold or becoming “guided”, the sanctity of the electoral process was perceived as a redeeming feature of public life. This basic pillar of democracy secured its ultimate endorsement in 1977 when, despite the shadow of the Emergency, India’s electorate voted out an authoritarian regime.

The ability of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that popular will is reflected in the legislatures has been tested over and over in the past seven decades of Independence. Although there have been instances of derailment — the West Bengal Assembly election of 1972 and the Jammu and Kashmir election of 1987 being two notable examples — India’s overall experience with elections has helped maintain the legitimacy of the political system.

As happens in a first-past-the-post that exaggerates legislative majorities, there have also been instances of incredulous losers whose anecdotal experiences of the campaign didn’t quite correspond with the outcome. In 1971, a defeated side insisted that the use of Soviet-made “invisible ink” helped Indira Gandhi win handsomely. Similar incredible claims of satellite manipulation of EVMs were heard after the 2009 general election.