Root For Free And Fair Elections, Value Democracy

When institutions themselves become partisan, electoral outcomes are far removed from the will of the people. It is time for a structural change in the entire electoral process

- KAPIL SIBAL

In a shambles. I am not talking about the functioning of the EVMs. I am talking about how elections are being conducted under the ostensible impartial gaze of the Election Commission.

The major flaw in the laws relating to elections is that though candidates are subject to a maximum ceiling of election expenses, no such ceiling applies to the costs of political parties. The result is that apart from candidates spending money beyond the maximum prescribed, which they do not naturally declare to the Election Commission, the political parties, especially those flush with funds, use their money power so that the electoral process becomes an uneven playing field. Those of us who, beyond our borders, tell the world that our democracy is thriving just because an election has taken place are indeed aware of how electoral victories are manipulated through sheer money power.

It would not be inaccurate to say that the industry, with high stakes in its enterprises and which seeks favours from the government, funds political parties in power through means, fair or foul. The electoral bond scheme, struck down by the Supreme Court, had enriched a political party in power at the Centre based on enormous donations from commercial players, perhaps due to a quid pro quo, emanating from favours doled out by the government. There are enough facts to suggest that it is indeed so.

The electoral bond scheme allowed for the funding of political parties through banking channels. Yet the display of expenditure by political parties during any election is obscene. There is no mechanism in the law to deal with this. As a result, the political party having access to maximum funding gets an undue advantage in the electoral process and its outcome.