The Conference, hosted by the Centre for Public Policy at IIM Bangalore and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), was inaugurated by Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice, Supreme Court. Sri T.S. Krishnamurthy, Chief Election Commissioner of India will participate on the second day. Sri Anna Hazare who has achieved significant success in rooting out corruption in Maharashtra, and Smt Aruna Roy of MKSS, Rajasthan that spearheaded the nationwide campaign on Right to Information are amongst the eminent participants from civil society.

The Conference is focused on working out practical solutions for improving the Electoral process and is based on the work of several hundred NGOs and civil society organizations in about 20 states who were active in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Election Watch activities. The observations and experiences during this nation wide effort will form the basis of the recommendations to the EC.

Some of the suggestions for improving voter rolls include easily and freely available rolls at various public places like Post Offices, Nationalized Banks, websites, and reading out voter names in gram sabhas for non-literate voters. Instead of a one time activity, voter roll correction should be an ongoing activity. NGOs also urged that there should be some penal action against concerned officers for large scale errors denying people the vote since voting has now been declared a Constitutional right by the Supreme Court. The list of people who cast their votes should also be made public without revealing whom they voted for. This will help to some extent in checking bogus voting and rigging.

The Conference welcomes the EC orders dated June 2, 2004 asking Returning Officers to take action and file FIRs against candidates who file false affidavits with their nomination papers. However the problem of candidates filing blank and incomplete affidavits remains and is prevalent on a significant scale as revealed in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The EC has issued orders to Returning Officers to ensure that this does not happen, but more needs to be done. Affidavits giving financial and criminal background of the candidate are now required to be filed along with their nomination papers as per Supreme Court directives dated May 2, 2002 and March 13, 2003. The EC has also empowered any citizen to get copies of these affidavits from Returning Officers, District Electoral Officers and the EC websites.

There are several other problems that need to be addressed including unaccounted election expenses, distribution of money and liquor to voters, violence and threat of violence. There are also some lacunae in the recent legislation on electoral expenses that need to be ironed out. The Conference is also evolving action plans for political party reform and greater accountability and transparency in finances of political parties. A suggestion by a senior EC official mentioned that it might be useful if candidates are required to open a designated Bank Account along with their nomination and all campaign expenses should be from this account. In some other countries, political parties are required by law to hold inner party elections and function in a democratic manner under the principle that only a party practicing democracy internally is fit to rule a democratic nation.

Along with the CEC, Chief Electoral Officers and State Election Commissioners from several States, senior people from the media, leaders from civil society and NGOS from over 12 states participated in the Conference. The Conference will give recommendations to the EC, and evolve action plans for the future.

Resolution

The National Conference on Electoral Reforms on June 26, 27 at IIM Bangalore was an unexpected success. Justice MN Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India inaugurated the Conference and Mr. T.S. Krishnamurthy, Chief Election Commissioner received recommendations from the NGOs working on electoral reforms in 19 states and 5 Union Territiories. He also announced that a Committee from Civil Society working on Electoral Reforms would meet with the EC to provide detailed suggestions to improve the voter rolls, take follow up actions on the affidavits filed by candidates, monitor electoral expenses and other issues.

The delegates at the Conference unanimously passed the following Resolutions.

The Conference resolves unanimously that for upholding the highest traditions of probity and morality in public life, any person who has been charged by a Court of Law of serious offences like murder, attempt to murder, rape, kidnapping, extortion, etc. should not be appointed to an office or permitted to continue in office till he is cleared of these charges.

The delegates of the Conference strongly condemn the illegal and unconstitutional allocation of public funds in the name of MP and MLA Local Area Development. It is completely inappropriate in the light to the 73rd and 74th Amendments which have provided for creating bodies at the local levels for carrying out these functions.

The Conference urges the Election Commission to make it mandatory for all recognized registered political parties to have democratically elected bodies and their functioning, including their financial status, should be made transparent and known to all.

Since it has been made mandatory for all candidates to make their financial status public, the political parties should also be called upon to regularly file statements of their assets and liabilities, which should also be made public.

City: 
Bangalore
State : 
Karnataka
Date: 
26.06.2009
Venue : 
IIM Bangalore
Topic: 
National Conference on Electoral Reforms - II
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