Now, after delivering the results of the general elections to the 12th Lok Sabha, the Nirvachan Sadan headquarters of the Election Commission wears a deserted air. The ITBP commandos at the gate are on the alert but inside the Sadan, in the offices which mere weeks ago were humming with activity, the atmosphere is relaxed.A sense of anti-climax prevails. Chief Election Commissioner Manohar Singh Gill agrees reluctantly to be interviewed. ``Our job is over. The action has shifted now to the House,'' he insists, pointing to the TV beaming the ongoing debate in the House. But get him talking on the unfinished agenda of electoral reforms and Gill gets galvanised. There is so much that needs to be done, he tells Nirmala George. Excerpts from an interview:
What were the parameters within which Election '98 took place?
These polls were conducted with less than three months notice unlike the customary six months notice that the Commission is allowed under the Constitution. The way politics are going,every election is becoming more contentious than the last. How to handle this task and ensure a free and fair poll is in itself a massive job.
Look at the scale of things: One billion people in a poor underdeveloped country, an average literacy level of less than 50 per cent and a polity fraught with social and economic tensions. Where leaders in some States have a tendency to resort to violence, where criminal candidates and booth-capturing are rampant. These are the parameters within which we yet managed to hold elections. Peaceful elections that are acceptable to all.
The Commission appeared to be playing down the violence by saying the deaths and violent incidents have to be viewed in perspective considering the size of the electorate?
This is not correct. From 93 deaths in the 1996 polls, the number of deaths have come down to 65 this time. And that too many of these were not directly related to the polls. When I said the numbers have to be seen in perspective, I was not justifying the lowincidents of violence. Even one death is not justifiable. I am only explaining the social turmoil that forms a backdrop to the polls. Considering the scale of the operation, I still maintain that the Commission has every reason to be satisfied.
What else is the Commission satisfied with?
Mid-term polls usually have a very low turnout. This election the voter turnout was 62.2 per cent. In 1991, it was 57 per cent, in 1996 it was 58 per cent. The turnout has gone up by over 4 percentage points, in terms of a country like India, a 4 per cent increase is a massive jump.
So we have the highest voter turnout, the lowest violence and the quickest results. People were surprised when the results started coming in by the evening of the first day of counting. Even TV stations which had geared up for 72 hours of programming were taken by surprise. The amount of reform undertaken to streamline the working of the Commission has shown results.Yet there have been no complaints about the counting process from anyquarter.
What were the constraints faced by the Election Commission?
Our severest difficulty was in providing adequate paramilitary forces. Every State wanted central forces to be sent. We had to work with what was given. If the Commission conceded to what each State demanded it would just not have been possible. We would have exposed our weakness. Criminal elements would have said ``lathi bhi nahin hein, jo marzi karo'' and taken advantage of the situation if they knew the truth. So the three of us, the Commissioners, travelled to the most vulnerable constituencies and boosted the morale of our electoral officers saying we would provide them additional forces. But truth be told we just did not have any forces to spare.
But this demand for Central forces by almost all the States. How do you react to that?
This is a bad sign when every State wants Central police forces at the time of election. I am really concerned. If States say they don't trust their own State police, it implies theseforces are not neutral. And if the State forces are not neutral who is to blame. It is the very same political forces which expect the police to be partisan, yet when it comes to the polls, they say the police cannot be trusted.
The Government has listed electoral reforms as one of the issues that need a national consensus. What are the priority reforms that the Commission is seeking?
The Commission had written numerous letters to successive prime ministers asking them to expeditiously pass some of the more important reforms. Since a broad consensus exists on most of the reforms, the Law Ministry can appoint a coordination committee like the last one and give its views. They can discuss it with the Opposition parties. Today, the country's situation is such that no party can have a one-sided approach and take advantage. For every party is in office in some State or other. It is time for all the seven national parties to sit together and unanimously agree to pass these reforms.
Let me state some ofthe pending issues. For example, reforms relating to electoral expenses. While the expenditure limit has gone up, the money spent by the party or relatives and friends of the candidate are not accounted for. This is a serious loophole which renders the expenditure limit futile.Another example, Section 8A of the Representation of People Act, 1951, has to be strengthened and made easy to implement. Right now only those who have been convicted are debarred whereas those with grave charges against them can still contest elections. This is one law which has to be tightened up immediately if we are serious about preventing the criminalisation of politics.
What about delimitation of constituencies?
Delimitation of constituencies is frozen till 2001. But all parties complain about the disparity in the size of constituencies. If the government has the intention it can entrust this duty to the Commission. We could constitute a technical board, call in experts, consult all the parties and ensure there is nojerrymandering. There would be no increase in the number of parliamentary seats, just a rationalisation of the size. For example, Delhi has seven constituencies. This number would remain, but the area under each constituency would be balanced. Similarly with the States.
Getting back to the issue of criminalisation, what about the political parties?
Political parties have to adopt a lakshman rekha of self-restraint and themselves decide not to field candidates with criminal backgrounds. Or else elections will be reduced to a battle of one daku versus another daku. All the national parties should sit together, hold private mutual discussions and sort this out.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
