ELECTORAL REFORMS IN INDIA-do we need to rethink about indian electoral system by doing comparetive studies of US and UK-Vibha

ELECTORAL REFORMS IN INDIA

DR. NAVNIIT GANDHI

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The largest organized activity in human history was successfully executed in India during April-May 2009. Even as the world watched in awe, the mammoth task of translating the cherished democratic ideals into a living reality took place uninterrupted and in a free and fair manner--- and culminated in the formation of a duly elected government in India. As many as 714 million eligible voters gave their mandate to candidates representing 1,000 registered parties—contesting for 543 parliamentary constituencies.

Free and fair elections are indispensable for the success of any political system, particularly a democracy. Obtaining the mandate of the people and thereby bestowing them with the sovereign status provides legitimacy to the authority of the government. Elections constitute the medium through which the attitudes, values and beliefs of the people towards their political environment are manifested. Elections give people a government and give to the government the authority to govern the lives of the citizens.

Despite many a lacunae and maladies ailing the electoral system, our country has been successfully and uninterruptedly conducting elections to the various legislative bodies—both at the national and state levels, from 1952 onwards. The journey so far has witnessed many distortions in the system and shameful occurrences during the operation of the system. The political elite, in general and the Election Commission, in particular, have often expressed deep concern and anxiety over the state of electoral affairs. Elections after the 1970s have brought to the fore the rampant criminalization in the Indian Polity. Beginning from the choice of criminals as candidates to the pre-poll threats intimidation and violence to booth capturing, misuse of official machinery, bogus voting and the like during elections, and until the post-poll trading of the elected members—we have seen the system getting rotten and eroded from within.

(sudhirji had made excellent cartoon on horse trading and anti defection law...vibha)

There is no denying the fact that politics in our country has, over the years, come under the heavy influence of money and muscle power. In the 70s and the 80s we could hardly call our polity a true democracy. Ballot was rendered meaningless by the bullet. The declining standards in this vast exercise motivated the political elite and the pressure groups to start thinking hard on how to check the rapid erosion of standards in our electoral system...

DR. NAVNIIT GANDHI taught Political Science at MVLU College, affiliated with the University of Mumbai.

Ph.D in Political Science from D.D.U. University of Gorakhpur.

M.A. (Political Science) from University of Mumbai

B.A. (Political Science & International Politics) from MVLU College, Mumbai

Selected by the US State Department and represented India as the 2005 Fulbright American studies institute on us foreign policy scholar. Addressed the US academicians and the international gathering on ‘Indo-US relations: past, present and future challenges’, and on ‘the US and the UN’.

Author of numerous works on Political Science.