Social organizations seeking electoral reforms in the northeast have sought participation of more representatives from tribal communities in the seventh regional consultation for electoral reforms organized by the Union law ministry and the Election Commission of India here on Sunday.
"We appreciate the Centre's initiative to hold a regional consultation for electoral reforms. But considering the complexities of the northeast and multiplicity of tribes, a single-day regional consultation is not enough. There has to be more participation of the civil society and representatives from various ethnic groups and rural civic bodies such as panchayats should be involved," Arunchal Pradesh Election Watch coordinator Bamang Tago said here on Saturday.
The seventh regional consultation for electoral reforms will be attended by Union law minister Verappa DoNER minister B K Handique, chief ministers from seven northeastern states, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and election commissioners.
The law and justice ministry has constituted a committee on electoral reforms which will be chaired by additional solicitor general Vivek Tankha. The panel's objective is to recommend the government some concrete ways to strengthen the electoral system. During the consultation, the committee will take into accounts opinions of political leaders, government officials, legal experts, NGOs, scholars, academics, journalists and other stakeholders.
"When we talk about electoral reforms in the northeast, we need to discuss threadbare all non-state actors (read insurgent groups) because they too influence the democratic process in the region. But it seems that the single-day consultation has been organized in a hurried way without allowing broader participation," Tago claimed.
Assam Election Watch (AEW) coordinator Tasaduk Ariful Hussain also said a day-long consultation was not enough to cover the issues involving electoral reforms in the northeast. "We are going to raise the issue when we participate in the consultation. Such an important consultation is being held and only day is allocated for the northeastern region," Hussain said.