Whether that will happen is hard to say. In fact, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill says that the proposal when elections have been announced is ``questionable'' and ``doubtful.'' He told The Indian Express: ``How can state funding be introduced at this stage? There is no Parliament in session and it is only the13th Lok Sabha which can approve such an important change in our electoral laws.''

He added that there were, in fact, other pending electoral reforms and last year, he had, personally written to all parties soliciting their views. He had not got a reply from a single party and therefore felt the Law Minister was now being over-optimistic in expecting to promulgate an ordinance before the election schedule was announced. ``This subject needs calm consideration. It should not be rushed through in this manner.''

But Jethmalani's efforts at evolving a consensus on the long-pending issue has obviously led to a flurry of activity in Government. V A Pai Panandiker, President of the Centre for Policy Research, says a senior Government functionary has asked him for a copy of the proposal on state funding which he had prepared for the Union Cabinet way back in 1977. ``The root cause for corruption in our country is election funding. The cancer has spread throughout the country and evolving a pattern for funding isthe need of the hour.'' he feels. Jethmalani's proposal states that the aim was to reduce money power in elections through state funding which can be achieved by amending the Representation of the People's Act. Panandiker adds that the concept of state funding, he had been talking about for years was for the Government to disburse funds to every political party on the basis of a carefully calculated cost of reaching each voter and the percentage of votes garnered by a party.