Election Commission cannot shield itself with rhetoric

THE ELECTION COMMISSION of India is meant to stand above politics, but today it increasingly finds itself in the middle of it.

- BY ASHOK LAVASA

Instead of being seen as the neutral referee of democracy, it is seen arguing with political parties, demanding affidavits, issuing stern rebuttals and defending itself in the courts. That is not a reassuring picture for an institution whose strength rests on credibility, not confrontation. It should not appear to be battered by some and defended by one.

The latest flashpoint is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The exercise was announced suddenly, apparently without consultation, and with procedural changes that shifted the burden of proving citizenship onto voters, who earlier only had to give an undertaking that they were citizens. For decades, voter roll revisions were inclusive by design. They ensured that eligible citizens were enrolled with minimum friction. By altering that equation abruptly and without explanation, the EC invited suspicion from unprepared citizens who were instead focusing on the impending assembly polls.