Every five years, India forms a government through elections in a constitutional democracy. The Election Commission of India, the body responsible for conducting elections, is not limited to simply setting dates and counting votes. It is true that the Election Commission has its own authority. The Election Commission holds a public trust to ensure that elections are, and indeed must appear to be, free and fair. The law empowers the Commission. The last few years, whether for the Lok Sabha or for the states, have witnessed an extraordinary situation regarding the Election Commission’s credibility. Its credibility has steadily declined. The Election Commission has been challenged on numerous issues. The special revision of voter lists in Bihar, duplicate PPIC entries, and the sudden increase in voter numbers in constituencies that appears disproportionate to the population, have been the subject of controversy surrounding the refusal to provide machine-readable rolls, and the removal of CCTV and webcast footage within 45 days, forcing the Election Commission to respond. The Supreme Court has also empowered and limited the Election Commission’s credentials in several respects. Following the controversy surrounding the SIR in Bihar, the Election Commission decided to conduct SIR across the country. The Election Commission held a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officers of states and union territories to review preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. SIR is expected to begin in phases starting in November. The first phase will cover states where assembly elections are scheduled for next year. Assembly elections are scheduled for West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. At the meeting, Chief Electoral Officers were instructed to map as many voters as possible from the previous SIR rolls in their states to minimize the need for document submissions. Migration to urban areas was also expected to pose challenges in mapping.
The Election Commission has the authority to amend voter lists. The task of removing the names of deceased individuals, canceling duplicate votes, and creating voter ID cards for citizens of the country is extensive. Conducting this work impartially requires significant scrutiny. The Election Commission is responsible for removing the names of infiltrators from voter lists and including citizens of the country in the voter list. The question now is that the model used for the SIR in Bihar has raised serious questions. To date, the Election Commission has not been able to disclose how many infiltrators were removed from the Bihar voter list. Following numerous questions, the Election Commission implemented several reforms. This year, the Election Commission has undertaken more than 28 reform initiatives. These reforms relate to six pillars: engagement with all stakeholders, improving the electoral system, adopting technology, voter list accuracy, ease of voting, and capacity building.
The Election Commission has launched a new feature, e-sign, to add names to, delete names from, or perform any other voter-related work online through its portal and app. Applicants must use their Aadhaar-linked mobile number. It is being claimed that the Commission introduced this new feature after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently exposed an attempt to remove a large number of voters from the Aland constituency in Karnataka. Voters’ identities will be verified through the e-sign feature. When voters register for voter cards or apply to remove or correct names from the voter list, they will verify their identity using the phone number linked to their Aadhaar card. This voter verification process will prove helpful in preventing fraudulent applications. It will not only verify names and numbers, but also determine whether a person’s name already exists on the voter list. The Election Commission has made more than two dozen changes in the last six months.
One decision is to phase out 808 registered but unrecognized political parties (RUPPs). Several parties are still in the pipeline, undergoing investigations and scrutiny. These parties have failed to meet the necessary registration requirements. There’s no doubt that the people of the country still remember former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan. He initiated electoral reforms. People can see elections divided into pre-Seshan and post-Seshan elections. Ruling parties attempted to curtail his powers, yet Seshan brought about significant change. He used the spirit of the law to establish order and credibility. Seshan enjoyed immense prestige in the court of public opinion. Today, such prestige is missing from the Chief Election Commissioner. The Election Commission must conduct its work as a SIR in the country with honesty and transparency to restore its reputation. Only when everyone, from political parties to ordinary voters, is the Election Commission satisfied with its work can democracy be strengthened.
