How a democracy decides

The one-stop guide to process, problems solutions of voting

- AMITABHA BHATTACHARYA

ELECTIONS condition ARE A necessary for a democracy, but not sufficient for a democracy to flourish. For India to transform itself from the world's most populous democracy to the 'greatest', its people, institutions, and individuals at the helm of affairs have a long way to go. Nevertheless, elections, Election Commission (EC) and election commissioners have been playing a significant role in shaping the fabric of our emergent democracy. The process has not been smooth and despite questions being raised from time to time about the independence and credibility of the EC, there is little doubt that, on the whole, there has been steady progression over the last seven decades, thanks to the pioneering work of Sukumar Sen and the impetus provided by TN Seshan and others.

As the nation keeps maturing, aspirational citizens are seeking answers to vexatious questions, spurring debates at the local and national levels. Infallibility of the electronic voting machines is being questioned. How to discourage 'criminal' elements from contesting elections, how to reduce the flow and power of money either to lure voters or to induce elected representatives, how to prevent 'horse trading', how sound and administratively feasible is the idea of 'one-nation-one-election' are among the hows and whys confronted in this book, often in granular detail, by Quraishi, perhaps the most vocal chief election commissioner in the post-Seshan era.