Ruling with a Slur

Alarming rise of politicians with criminal backgrounds undermines governance, erodes public trust, and endangers democracy. Strengthening institutions, voter awareness, and urgent reforms are essential to protect India's democratic future

- FR. JOHN FELIX RAJ & PRABHAT KUMAR DATTA

Electoral democracy is indeed considered the gold standard of democratic systems, and its cornerstone is the regular conduct of free and fair elections. This process empowers citizens, whose consent legitimizes the ruling party's authority, making them the true sovereigns in a democracy.

Electoral democracy in India started facing significant challenges as soon as the nationalist fervour, that emerged out of the freedom struggle, began to subside. One of the critical challenges is the growing influence of muscle power in politics which corrodes the basis of democracy. The rising percentage of politicians with criminal backgrounds from 24 per cent in 2004 to 34 per cent in 2014 and a staggering 43 per cent in 2019, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms, sounds an alarming bell.

This trend causes double jeopardy; it undermines public trust and perpetuates a culture of impunity. The other consequences of criminalized politics include erosion of public faith in government and judiciary, arbitrary laws and discriminatory policies, and poor governance and inefficient legislatures.

Criminality in politics weakens the very foundation of democracy. An eminent researcher in the field, Milan Vaishnav reminds us that it 'encourages disrespect for the law, and ultimately reproduces the malfunctioning of the state'. And the situation turns from bad to worse when the elected representatives are charged with serious crimes like murder, attempt to murder, kidnap, rape and the like.

Rajendra Prasad's insightful words in the Constituent Assembly on November 29, 1949, emphasized the significance of capable leaders with character and integrity in making the most of even a flawed Constitution. Essentially, he stressed that the effectiveness of a Constitution depends on the quality of those implementing it.