BACKGROUND

PAPER ON
ELECTORAL REFORMS
(PREPARED BY THE CORE-COMMITTEE ON ELECTORAL REFORMS)

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT
MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

CO-SPONSORED
BY
THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

December, 2010
Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

Contents

CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................................... 1

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................... 2

II. APPROACH TO BACKGROUND PAPER.................................................................................................... 4

III. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................... 5

IV. CRIMINALISATION OF POLITICS............................................................................................................. 7

V. FINANCING OF ELECTIONS.................................................................................................................. 11

VI. CONDUCT AND BETTER MANAGEMENT OF ELECTIONS........................................................................15

VII. REGULATING POLITICAL PARTIES......................................................................................................... 26

VIII. AUDITING OF FINANCES OF POLITICAL PARTIES...................................................................................28

IX. ADJUDICATION OF ELECTION DISPUTES...............................................................................................30

X. REVIEW OF ANTI-DEFECTION LAW...................................................................................................... 31

XI. ANNEXURE: UPDATE ON ELECTION COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................33

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I. Executive Summary

India stands as a model for many emerging democracies around the world. Free and fair
elections are the hallmark of a well functioning democracy. While we are justifiably proud of
our democracy, there are a number of areas which need to be strengthened for us to realise
the true potential of a well functioning democracy. Our election system, from the selection of
candidates, to the manner in which funds are raised and spent in election campaigns, are in
dire need of significant changes.

There has been a growing concern over the years in India about several aspects of our
electoral system. The Election Commission has made changes in several areas to respond to
some of the concerns. There have also been a number of committees which have examined
the major issues pertaining to our electoral system and made a number of recommendations.
But there remain some critical issues that might need legislative action to bring about the
required changes.

The criminalisation of our political system has been observed almost unanimously by all
recent committees on politics and electoral reform. Criminalisation of politics has many
forms, but perhaps the most alarming among them is the significant number of elected
representatives with criminal charges pending against them. Two measures recommended by
previous committees are discussed in this paper: enforcement of the disclosure of criminal
antecedents of candidates, and eligibility restrictions for candidates with criminal cases
pending against them.

The financing of elections has become a major issue in the past few decades. It is widely
believed that the cost of fighting elections has climbed far above the legal spending limits.
This has resulted in lack of transparency, widespread corruption, and the pervasiveness of so-
called ‘black money’. This paper summarises proposals made on the following issues: limits
on campaign expenditure, disclosure and audit of assets and liabilities of candidates and
parties, methods of reducing the cost of political campaigns, as well as state funding of
elections.

The conduct of elections also has a number of issues that need to be addressed. While the
massive size of the electorate makes holding elections a daunting task, it should not serve as a
justification for the presence of issues such as booth capturing, intimidation of voters,
tampered electoral rolls, large-scale rigging of elections and other polling irregularities; the
proliferation of non-serious candidates; and the abuse of religion and caste in the
mobilization of voters. Potential solutions to these problems are outlined in this paper.

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This paper also takes consideration of major issues dealing with the role of political parties in
the electoral system: proliferation of non-serious parties; process of recognition and de-
recognition of political parties; disclosure of assets and liabilities of parties; and audit and
publishing of assets and liabilities.

Resolution of election petitions and disputes, as well as rulings on defections, are two
important processes seen to be operating in a slow and inefficient manner by many pervious
committees. This paper reviews recommendations made to mitigate these problems.

The Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, has constituted a Committee

on Electoral Reforms.  The main purpose of the Committee is to recommend to the
government concrete ways in which our electoral system can be strengthened. The
Committee will take into account the opinions of political leaders, Government servants,
legal experts, NGOs, scholars, academics, journalists, and other stakeholders.
 
The purpose of this background paper is to recap some of the key issues with our electoral
system, and to briefly examine the recommendations made by some recent committees in this
regard. It is hoped that this background paper will be a starting point to renew a national
dialogue on the important changes that need to be brought about to strengthen our electoral
system.
 

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II. Approach to Background Paper

 
The purpose of this paper is to  provide background information on issues in our electoral
process and outline some  electoral reform options  that have been considered in the past,
in order to serve as a platform for a renewed national dialogue on electoral reforms .
 

2.1 In this background paper, the Committee on Electoral Reforms does not endeavour to
make any recommendations of its own; rather it presents the recommendations made
by various committees to date in order to fulfil its purpose of providing background
information for substantive dialogue in regional and national consultations.
 
2.2 The topic of electoral reforms has been taken up by numerous government
committees in the recent past, including but not limited to:
 Goswami Committee on Electoral Reforms (1990)
 Vohra Committee Report (1993)
 Indrajit Gupta Committee on State Funding of Elections (1998)
 Law Commission Report on Reform of the Electoral Laws (1999)
 National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2001)
 Election Commission of India – Proposed Electoral Reforms (2004)
 The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2008)
 
2.3 There has also been a great deal of substantive work on the topic of Electoral Reforms
undertaken by various civil society groups, which have contributed significantly to
the public discourse on the subject. While acknowledging the contribution of these
groups, the Committee limits its discussion of reform recommendations in this paper
to those published by the committees mentioned above.

2.4 A number of committees have discussed major structural reforms of the electoral
system, such as a shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system of
representation. We will explore options for electoral reform within the framework of
the current system and will not address these larger structural issues in this paper.
 
2.5 This background paper is also being made available on the website of the Law
Ministry.  It is hoped that many more stakeholders will be able to provide inputs
either online or by post to the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India.  The
work of this Committee will be enriched by such inputs, and the Committee looks
forward to wide participation in the weeks ahead from experts and ordinary citizens.

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III. Introduction

3.1 The founding fathers of India opted for a Parliamentary democracy as the appropriate
model for a large and diverse country like ours. The general elections in India are a
mammoth exercise, with over 700 million voters, and about one million polling booths in
the country. This awe inspiring effort is widely hailed as a model for the conduct of free
and fair elections.

3.2 In our experience of holding elections for six decades, a number of issues have come to
the fore from time to time. Legislative changes were made, the Election Commission
developed a Code of Conduct, and passed several strictures with a view to conducting
elections in a smooth manner. But in recent years, there have been some alarming trends
that have been noticed which can potentially jeopardise the democratic freedoms we
enjoy in India today.

3.3 At a more fundamental level, if citizens do not have faith in the way our elected
representatives are chosen, there is danger to the very idea of democracy itself. Widely
held views among the public with regard to criminalisation of politics, the use of money
power in securing votes, the paid-news disease are some of the issues that are enlarging
the trust deficit with regard to our elections. This needs to be stemmed at the earliest and
in a clear and transparent manner to regain the trust of the citizens in our democratic
process.

3.4 Civil society groups, journalists, and other observers of the process have been playing an
important role in identifying a number of the weaknesses of our existing system. There
have been efforts to use the courts to seek to push reform on this important issue. The
widely known practice of every candidate having to declare their assets, liabilities and
pending criminal cases came about as a result of a landmark court judgement.

3.5 The Election Commission has been at the forefront of initiating efforts to strengthen the
electoral system. But its own mandate can sometimes be a limiting factor. In this context
it would be necessary to examine the issue with regard to the legislative and other
changes that will be required to make the electoral system work better for all our citizens.

3.6 In recent years a number of committees have examined several aspects of our electoral
process and have recommended important changes to the system. Some of these
recommendations have been implemented and yet there is much more to be done.

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3.7 In order to take the agenda forward, the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of
India has constituted a Committee on Electoral Reforms. This Committee seeks to hold
regional consultations followed by a national consultation in order to develop a set of
actionable recommendations. Every effort would be made by this Committee to reach out
to a wide set of experts and stakeholders and to benefit from the insights and experience
of all concerned. The objective of these recommendations would be to provide the basis
of developing legislative and other proposals which can then be taken forward.

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IV. Criminalisation of Politics

Most recent Committee reports on electoral reforms have almost universally

acknowledged the criminalisation of our political system at both national and state levels
and across party lines.

The criminalisation of our political system has been observed almost unanimously by all
recent committees on politics and electoral reform. Criminalisation of politics has many
forms, but perhaps the most alarming among them is the significant number of elected
representatives with criminal charges pending against them. Two measures recommended by
previous committees are discussed in this paper: enforcement of the disclosure of criminal
antecedents of candidates, and eligibility restrictions for candidates with criminal cases
pending against them.

The Vohra Committee Report on Criminalisation of Politics was constituted to identify the
extent of the politician-criminal nexus and recommend ways in which the menace can be
combated. In Chapter 4 of the report of the National Commission to Review the Working of
the Constitution, cites the Vohra report as follows: “The nexus between the criminal gangs,
police, bureaucracy and politicians has come out clearly in various parts of the country” and
that “some political leaders become the leaders of these gangs/armed senas and over the years
get themselves elected to local bodies, State assemblies, and national parliament.” This point
becomes self evident when one looks at the number of elected representatives with pending
criminal cases against them at all levels in our federal system. A number of remedies have
been proposed by the various committees on the criminalization of politics in the country.

4.1 Disclosure of criminal antecedents of candidates

Currently, Rule 4A of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, prescribes that each candidate
must file an affidavit (Form 26 appended to Conduct of Election Rules, 1961) regarding (i)
cases, if any, in which the candidate has been accused of any offence punishable with
imprisonment for two years or more in a pending case in which charges have been framed by
the court, and (ii) cases of conviction for an offence other than any of the offences mentioned
in Section 8 of Representation of the People Act, 1951, and sentenced to imprisonment for
one year or more. In addition to this, pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court the
Election Commission on March 27, 2003, has issued an order that candidates must file an
additional affidavit stating (i) information relating to all pending cases in which cognizance
has been taken by a Court, (ii) assets and liabilities, and (iii) educational qualifications. The
affidavit is given in a form prescribed by the Election Commission of India.

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Section 125A of the R.P. Act, 1951 prescribes penalties for withholding or providing
incorrect information on Form 26, which amount to imprisonment of up to six months, or
fine, or both.

In its report entitled Proposed Electoral Reforms, 2004 the Election Commission of India
notes that “in some cases, the candidates leave some of the columns blank…there have been
cases where candidates are alleged to have given grossly undervalued information.”

 Recommendations

In its report on Proposed Election Reforms, 2004, the Election Commission of India
recommended that an amendment should be made to Section 125A of the R.P. Act,
1951 to provide for more stringent punishment for concealing or providing wrong
information on Form 26 of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to minimum two years
imprisonment and removing the alternative punishment of assessing a fine upon the
candidate. It also recommended that Form 26 be amended to include all items from
the additional affidavit prescribed by the Election Commission, add a column
requiring candidates to disclose their annual declared income for tax purpose as well
as their profession.

The Law Commission of India Report on Reform of the Electoral Laws, 1999,
suggested that an amendment be made to the Representation of the People Act, 1951,
to insert a new section 4A after section 4 to make declaration of assets and criminal
cases pending against the candidate part of the qualifications necessary for
membership to the House of the People.

4.2 Eligibility of candidates with criminal cases pending against them

Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, provides for disqualification of
candidates from contesting an election on conviction by a Court of Law. In subsection (1), it
lists certain crimes and stipulates a disqualification period of six years from the date of
conviction. In subsection (2) it lists a different set of crimes and provides for the candidate to
be disqualified from the date of conviction and for a period of six years since his release. In
subsection (3), it provides that any candidate convicted for a crime for which the minimum
imprisonment is two years shall also be disqualified from the date of conviction and will
continue to be disqualified for six additional years after his release.

 Recommendations

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The Election Commission proposed in its 2004 report that Section 8 of the
Representation of the People Act, 1951 should be amended to disqualify candidates
accused of an offence punishable by imprisonment of 5 years or more even when trial
is pending, given that the Court has framed charges against the person. In the report
the Commission addresses the possibility that such a provision could be misused in
the form of motivated cases by the ruling party. To prevent such misuse, the
Commission suggested a compromise whereas only cases filed prior to six months
before an election would lead to disqualification of a candidate. In addition, the
Commission proposed that Candidates found guilty by a Commission of Enquiry
should stand disqualified.

The report “Ethics in Governance” of the Second Administrative Reforms concurred

with the recommendation of the Election Commission.

In Chapter 4 of its report, the National Commission to Review the Working of the
Constitution proposed several measures. Firstly, it proposed that Section 8 of the
Representation of the People Act, 1951, be amended such that a candidate accused of
an offence punishable by imprisonment of 5 years or more be disqualified on the
expiry of a period of one year from the date the charges were framed against him, and
unless cleared during that one year period, he shall remain disqualified until the
conclusion of his trial. It also recommended that in case a candidate is convicted by a
court of law and sentenced to imprisonment of six months or more, he shall be
disqualified during the period of the sentence and for six additional years after his
release. Candidates violating this provision should be disqualified and political parties
putting up such a candidate with knowledge of his antecedents should be
derecognised and deregistered. Thirdly, the Commission has stated that any person
convicted for any heinous crime such as murder, rape, smuggling, dacoity, etc.,
should be permanently barred from contesting political office. Finally, the
Commission proposes the establishment of Special Courts to decide cases against
candidates within a period of six months or less. Potential candidates against whom
charges are pending may take the matter to the Special Court, which can decide if
there is indeed a prima facie case justifying the framing of the charges. Special
Courts would be constituted at the level of High Courts and decisions would be
appealable only to the Supreme Court.

The 1999 Law Commission of India Report takes a separate stand, suggesting that
Section 8 remain unchanged. It suggests, however, the addition of a new section –
Section 8B, which would provide a separate set of penalties for electoral offences and
offences having a bearing upon the conduct of elections under sections 153A and 505
IPC and serious offences punishable with death or life imprisonment. The proposed
Section 8B would provide that framing of charges shall be a ground of
disqualification but this disqualification shall last only for a period of five years or

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till the acquittal of the person of those charges, whichever event happens earlier. If
a candidate is found guilty they would automatically be disqualified under Section 8.

4.3 Negative or Neutral Voting

The criminalisation of politics, widespread corruption in the system, and use of violence,
voter intimidation, etc may result in there being no desirable candidates within those
contesting elections in a particular constituency. Currently there is no way for voters to
express their dislike for all candidates. The lack of such a provision may further contribute to
the decay in the system in such cases by encouraging only those voters who support such
compromised candidates to vote, returning those same leaders to power again and again.

 Recommendations

Both the Election Commission and Law Commission of India recommend that a
negative or neutral voting option be created. Negative/ neutral voting means allowing
voters to reject all of the candidates on the ballot by selection of a “none of the above”
option instead of the name of a candidate on the ballot. In such a system there could
be a provision whereas if a certain percentage of the vote is negative/neutral, then the
election results could be nullified and a new election conducted.

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V. Financing of Elections
It is widely believed that in many cases successfully contesting an election
costs a significant amount of money that is often much greater than the
prescribed limits.

A Consultation Paper to the National Commission to Review the Working of the

Constitution, 2001, noted that “the campaign expenditure by candidates is in the range of
about twenty to thirty times the legal limits”.

There are many negative social impacts of this high cost. Chapter 4 of the Report of the
National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001, notes that the high
cost of elections “creates a high degree of compulsion for corruption in the public arena” and
that “the sources of some of the election funds are believed to be unaccounted criminal
money in return for protection, unaccounted funds from business groups who expect a high
return on this investment, kickbacks or commissions on contracts, etc.” It also states that
“Electoral compulsions for funds become the foundation of the whole super structure of
corruption”.

A number of remedies have been recommended by previous committees for curbing the
negative impact of the high cost of elections:

5.1 Official limits on campaign expenditure

Currently, limits on campaign expenditure are fixed at certain amounts depending on the
nature of the election. However, it is believed that these limits are violated with audacity.
This is mainly attributed to the fact that the actual cost of running an election campaign is
often much greater than the prescribed spending limit.

 Recommendations

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001,

recommended that the existing ceiling on election expenses for the various legislative
bodies should be suitably raised to a reasonable level reflecting increasing costs. The
ceiling is currently Ra 25 lakhs for a Lok Sabha seat and Rs 10 lakh for an Assembly
seat. In order to cope with rising expenditures over time, this ceiling should be fixed
by the Election Commission from time to time and should include all the expenses by
the candidate as well as by his political party or his friends and well-wishers and any
other expenses incurred in any political activity on behalf of the candidate by an
individual or corporate entity.

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A Consultation Paper to the National Commission to Review the Working of the

Constitution, 2001, entitled "Review of the Working of Political Parties Specially in
Relation to Elections and Reform Options" largely concurred with the above opinion
but also suggested a much bolder one: (a) either the statutory limit should be scrapped
altogether and replaced by a selective ban on certain kinds of expenditure. Or the
existing provisions should be amended to provide for: (i) much higher ceiling than
what currently exists; (ii) regular revision of the ceiling before every general election;
(iii) all the expenditure, irrespective of who paid for it, to be brought within the
purview of this provision; (iv) mechanism for routine verification /auditing of the
return of the expenditure; and (v) publicity of the returns filed by the candidate in the
local press.

The Election Commission of India recommends that the ceiling on election

expenditure be rationalized from time to time.

5.2 Disclosure audit of assets and liabilities of candidates

In an order dated March 27, 2003, the Election Commission of India issued an order, in
pursuance of the Supreme Court judgment dated March 13, 2003 in the Peoples Union for
Civil Liberties & Another Vs. Union of India case, that candidates for electoral office must
submit an affidavit disclosing his assets and liabilities.

It has been noted by the Election Commission of India in its report Proposed Electoral
Reforms, 2004, that “there have been many cases where the candidates are alleged to have
given grossly undervalued information, mainly about their assets.”

 Recommendations

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution recommended a

follow-up action to the declaration of assets and liabilities by candidates - that the
particulars of the assets and liabilities of both candidates and political parties should
be audited by a special authority created specifically under law for this purpose.
Accounts of candidates and parties should be monitored through a system of checking
and cross-checking through the income tax returns filed by candidates, parties, and
their well wishers. At the end of the election each candidate should submit an audited
statement of expenses under specific heads.

In 2004 the Election Commission recommended than an amendment be made to Form

26 of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to include disclosure of assets and liabilities
by candidates. To enforce complete compliance by candidates on Form 26, the

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Commission recommended that Section125A be amended such that there is more

stringent punishment for concealing or providing wrong information on the form. The
amendment would provide for minimum two years imprisonment and removal of the
alternative punishment of assessing a fine upon the candidate.

5.3 Curbing the cost of campaigning

It has been noted by previous committees that in order to remedy the negative impact of the
excessive cost of elections, the first step should be to reduce the cost of elections themselves.

 Recommendations

It was observed by both the Indrajit Gupta Committee on State Funding of Elections,
1999, and the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001,
that many of the tools used for campaigning – such as wall writings, rallies on public
property, using loudspeakers for campaigning – are not only costly, but are also a
public nuisance. Curbing these activities can both reduce the public nuisance caused
by them and also reduce the amount of money needed to fight elections. For this
purpose the Committees suggested that a suitable law should be enacted providing
penalties or reasonable restrictions against damaging or desecrating public or private
property by candidates, political parties, or the agents, through painting of slogans or
erecting cut-outs and hoarding or putting up banners and buntings, wall writings,
hoisting of flags (except at party offices, party offices, public meetings and other
specified places), etc.

In addition, the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution,

2001, suggested the following measures: (i) State and Parliamentary level elections, to
the extent possible, should be held at the same time; (ii) the campaign period should
be reduced considerably, and (iii) candidates should not be allowed to contest election
simultaneously for the same office from more than one constituency.

5.4 State Funding of Elections

A major concern associated with the high cost of elections is that it prevents parties and
candidates with modest financial resources from being competitive in elections. It is also
feared that if candidates need to raise funds from a variety of sources, then their policy
decisions after being elected as policy makers may be somewhat biased in favour of groups
that fund them. State funding of elections (in various forms) has been proposed as a potential
solution to this problem.

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 Recommendations

The Indrajit Gupta Committee on State Funding of Elections, 1998, backed the idea of
state funding of elections on principle, stating that “The Committee see full
justification constitutional, legal as well as on ground of public interest, for grant
of State subvention to political parties, so as to establish such conditions where even
the parties with modest financial resources may be able to compete with those who
have superior financial resources.” It added two limitations, namely (i) such funds
could not be doled out to independent candidates, and only to national and state
parties having granted a symbol and proven their popularity among the electorate, and
(ii) in the short-term, State funding may be given only in kind, in the form of certain
facilities to the recognised political parties and their candidates. However, despite
strongly backing full State funding of elections principle, it stated that only partial
State funding would be possible in the short-term given the prevailing economic
condition of the country.

The 1999 report of the Law Commission of India concurred with the Indrajit Gupta
Commission, stating that “it is desirable that total state funding be introduced, but on
the condition that political parties are barred from raising funds from any other
source”. It also agreed with the Indrajit Gupta Commission that only partial state
funding was possible at the present time given the economic conditions of the
country. Additionally, it strongly recommended that the appropriate regulatory
framework be put in place with regard to political parties (provisions ensuring
internal democracy, internal structures and maintenance of accounts, their auditing
and submission to Election Commission) before state funding of elections is
attempted.

The Report “Ethics in Governance” of the Second Administrative Reforms

Commission also recommended that “a system for partial state funding should be
introduced to reduce the scope of illegitimate and unnecessary funding of expenditure
for elections.”

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001, did not
comment on the desirability of State funding of elections but reiterated the point of
the Law Commission that the appropriate framework for regulation of political parties
would need to be implemented before proposals for State funding are considered. The
Election Commission is not in favour of state funding as it will not be possible to
prohibit or check candidate’s own expenditure or expenditure by others over and
above that which is provided by the State. The Election Commission’s view is that
for addressing the real issues, there have to be radical changes in the provisions

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regarding receipts of funds by political parties and the manner in which such funds are
spent by them so as to provide for complete transparency in the matter.

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VI. Conduct and Better Management of Elections

The massive size of the Indian electorate makes general elections an
enormous and daunting exercise. But this should not prevent us from finding
more ways of making the election process free and fair.

According to the Election Commission of India, the size of the electorate for the 2009
elections to the 15th Lok Sabha was more than 714 million. The National Commission to
Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001, noted in its report that “the holding of general
elections in India is equal to holding them for Europe, the United States, Canada, and
Australia all put together.” Successful administration of the electoral process requires more
than 50 lakh personnel and almost 1 million (10 lakh) polling booths. Millions of security
personnel are required to promote a peaceful and incident-free voting experience.

Previous committees have recommended several changes in the conduct of the electoral
process to properly address the challenges mentioned above. Major problems in the conduct
of elections and proposed solutions are outlined below.

6.1 Irregularities in polling

Irregularities in polling procedure have been identified as important issues that need to be
addressed in our electoral system. Rigging of elections have become common facets of our
electoral system.

6.1.1 Importance of electoral rolls

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001, rightly
noted that “The electoral process begins with the preparation of electoral rolls. If the
rolls are incomplete or defective, the whole process is vitiated.” A Consultation Paper
to the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution noted that
“political parties and influential persons manage large-scale registration of bogus
voters, or large-scale deletion of names of “unfriendly” voters.” The Goswami
Committee on Electoral Reforms stated that irregularities in electoral rolls are
exacerbated by purposeful tampering done by election officials who are bought by
vested interests or have partisan attitudes.

Aside from intentional tampering, the structure of the system set up to create electoral
rolls may contribute significantly to the widespread inaccuracies. In the current
system, the Election Commission prepares electoral roles for Parliamentary and
Assembly constituencies, and the State Election Commissions prepare electoral rolls

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for local elections. While some states have coordinated their electoral rolls with those
prepared by the Election Commission, there are still some states that significantly
modify them. Some states even have different qualifying dates for the State rolls from
the Election Commission rolls, which is inefficient for both the Commissions involved
and confusing for the voter. The duplication of essentially the same task between two
different agencies is also an unnecessarily costly affair.

 Recommendations

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution recommended

in its 2001 report that an automated online database should be created by the Election
Commission. In such a system, each voter would be provided with a unique bar-coded
ID number, assigned for life. This bar-coded ID card and number could be verified at
the polling booth by a hand held device. The electoral rolls in this system could be
prepared at the panchayat or district level. Along with this, the Commission also
recommended that the task of electoral roll preparation should not be duplicated as it
is now, possibly by entrusting it to an outside agency under the supervision of the
Election Commission. A centralized, computerized system could provide for the easy
public availability of the electoral rolls as well.

The 2004 report on Proposed Electoral Reforms, the Election Commission concurred
with the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution that there
should be common rolls for all elections, with the Parliamentary and Assembly rolls
adapted to suit the needs of local bodies elections. This is primarily recommended by
the Commission for the purpose of saving on expenditure and to make the process
more efficient.

The Goswami Committee of 1990 recommended that Post Offices should be the
agencies for preparation and maintenance of electoral rolls. This solution may well be
outdated in today’s society where efficient computerized systems can be created. The
Committee, did however, recommend a multi-purpose ID somewhat along the same
lines as that proposed by the National Commission to Review the Working of the
Constitution.

6.1.2 Rigging through muscle power and intimidation

Rigging of elections is possible not just through tampering of booths, ballots, and electoral
roles, but also out of sheer ‘muscle power’ and intimidation of voters.

 Recommendations

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The Goswami Committee Report of 1990 recommended that the Election

Commission should be empowered to take strong action on the report of returning
officers, election observers, or civil society in regards to booth capture or the
intimidation of voters. The National Commission to Review the Working of the
Constitution recommends that the Election Commission should have the power under
Section 58A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to order a fresh election,
void the election results, or order a re-poll in such cases. It further recommended that
the Election Commission should make use of electronic surveillance equipment as a
deterrent to booth capture or intimidation of voters.

6.2 Proliferation of candidates

There is a proliferation of candidates in Indian elections. According to the Election

Commission of India, “too many candidates in the election fray puts unnecessary and
avoidable stress on the management of elections and increases expenditure on account of
security, maintenance of law and order, and requires extra number of balloting units of voting
machines, etc”. It has been observed that a large number of candidates in the fray are non-
serious candidates, which according to the Law Commission of India, makes elections
“cumbersome, expensive and unmanageable – indeed farcical in some cases.” The National
Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution notes that out of the 1900
independent candidates who contested the general election of 1998, only six actually won.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission of India, Law Commission of India, and National

Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution all recommend measures to
check the proliferation of non-serious candidates. In their reports, all the Committees
mentioned recommended increasing the security deposit of candidates. The
recommendations of these Committees were enacted through the Representation of
the People (Amendment) Act, 2009, which increased the amount. The Election
Commission further recommends that it be given the power to prescribe deposit
amounts prior to each election so that repeated amendments to the Representation of
the People Act are not necessary.

The Law Commission of India Report on Reform of the Electoral Laws goes even
further and declares that independent candidates should be debarred from contesting
elections to the Lok Sabha.

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution proposed a

system of discouraging independent candidates from running for office, by
implementing the following measures: (i) the existing security deposits for

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

independent candidates should be doubled, (ii) the deposit should be doubled every
year for those independents who fail to win and still keep contesting elections, (iii) if
any independent candidate fails to win five percent of the vote or more, he should be
debarred from contesting as an independent for the same office for six years, (iv) an
independent candidate who loses election three times consecutively for the same
office as an independent should be permanently debarred from contesting election to
that office.

6.3 Measures for Election Commission

The Election Commission of India has recommended a number of improvements in electoral

law to allow it to continue functioning in an effective and independent manner.

 Recommendations

Clause (5) of Article 324 of the Constitution, inter alia, provides that the Chief
Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner
and on like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court. However, Clause (5) of Article
324 does not provide similar protection to the Election Commissioners and it only
says that they cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the
Chief Election Commissioner. The provision, in the opinion of the Election
Commission, is inadequate and requires an amendment to provide the very same
protection and safeguard in the matter of removability of Election Commissioners
from office as is provided to the Chief Election Commissioner. The Election
Commission recommends that constitutional protection be extended to all members of
the Election Commission.

The Election Commission also recommends that the Secretariat of the Election
Commission, consisting of officers and staff at various levels is also insulated from
the interference of the Executive in the matter of their appointments, promotions, etc.,
and all such functions are exclusively vested in the Election Commission on the lines
of the Secretariats of the Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha, Registries of the Supreme
Court and High Courts etc.

The third recommendation of the Election Commission is that its budget be treated as
“Charged” on the Consolidated Fund of India.

6.4 Restrictions on Government sponsored advertisements

It has been noted by the Election Commission that on the eve of election, the Central and
various State Governments are able to advertise for the purpose of influencing elections,

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

justifying it by providing information to the public. The expenditure on such advertisements

is likely incurred from the public exchequer. The Election Commission feels this practice
allows the misuse of public funds and provides the ruling party an undue advantage over
other parties and candidates.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission proposes that where any general election is due on the
expiration of the term of the House, advertisements of achievements of the
governments, either Central or State, in any manner, should be prohibited for a period
of six months prior to the date of expiry of the term of the House, and in case of
premature dissolution, from the date of dissolution of the House. Here,
advertisements / dissemination of information on poverty alleviation and health
related schemes could be exempted from the purview of such a ban. The Commission
also recommends that there should be specific provisions that name or symbol of any
political party or photograph of any of the leaders of the party should not appear on
such hoardings/banners.

6.5 Restriction on the number of seats which one may contest

Section 33 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a person can contest a general
election or a group of bye-elections or biennial elections from a maximum of two
constituencies. There have been several cases where a person contests election from two
constituencies, and wins from both. In such a situation he vacates the seat in one of the two
constituencies. The consequence is that a bye-election would be required from one
constituency which apart from involving avoidable labour and expenditure on the conduct of
that bye-election.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission is of the view that the law should be amended to provide
that a person cannot contest from more than one constituency at a time.

6.6 Amendment of law to provide for filing of election petition even against defeated
candidates on the ground of corrupt practice

As per the existing law, election petition can be filed only for challenging the election of a
returned candidate. If a defeated candidate has indulged in corrupt practice, there is no
provision for election petition or a declaration against such candidate.

 Recommendations

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

The Election Commission has recommended in its letter dated 24 th April 2009 that the
law should be amended to provide for filing election petitions in cases of commission
of corrupt practice by a losing candidate. In the same letter, it was also suggested that
the period by which the candidates are required to file their account of election
expenses should be reduced to 20 days from the present 30 days, so that more time is
available for others to scrutinize the accounts and to take the matter to the Court in
Election Petitions in cases of spending in excess of the ceiling. Alternatively, the
period for filing Election Petition may be increased to 60 days.

6.7 Restrictions on opinion polls

Previous committees on electoral law have debated the possibility of whether opinion polls
are misused to manipulate voters on the eve of elections.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission had recommended that there should be provision in the
law putting restrictions on publishing the results of opinion polls and exit polls for a
specified period during the election process. By the recent amendment of the
Representation of the People Act,1951, a new Section 126A has been inserted in the
Act prohibiting conducting of exit polls and publishing results in any manner, during
the period starting from 48 hours before the close of poll in an election. In a multi-
phased election, the prohibition will last till the close of poll in the last phase.

However, the amendment does not cover opinion polls. Thus, results of opinion poll
can be published even on the day of election polling. Although dissemination of
results of opinion polls would be prohibited during the 48 hours period before the
conclusion of poll by virtue of Section-126 (1) (b) on electronic media, there is no
provision of law to restrict dissemination through print media (since 126 (1) (b) does
not apply to print media).

6.8 Prohibition of Campaign during the Last 48 Hours

Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits electioneering activities
by way of public meetings, public performance, processions, advertisements through
cinematograph, television or similar apparatus during the period of 48 hours before the time
fixed for conclusion of poll. Thus, political advertisements in TV and Radio are prohibited
during these 48 hours. However, since this Section does not refer to print media, the political
parties and candidates issue advertisements in newspapers during this period including on the
day of poll. They also undertake house-to-house visits. The logic behind the restriction on

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

campaigning during the 48 is to allow citizens to decide their option without being prejudiced
by any last moment appeals.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission recommends that Section 126 should apply to print media
as well. Furthermore, it recommends that house to house visits by
candidates/supporters should be specifically prohibited during the said 48 hour
period. It is the opinion of the Commission that the house-to-house visit/ contact in
the last hours provides that opportunity for indulging in malpractices such as trying
to bribe electors with cash.

6.9 Ban on transfer of officers likely to serve elections

It is the opinion of the Election Commission that such transfers, often made on grounds other
than administrative exigencies, disrupt the arrangements then underway for conducting
smooth and peaceful elections.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission had recommended in 1998 that Section 13 CC of the

Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Section 28A of the Representation of
the People Act, 1951 should be amended to provide that no transfer shall be made,
without the concurrence of the Commission, of any officer referred to therein, as
soon as a general election/bye-election becomes due in any Parliamentary or
Assembly Constituencies. The Commission has suggested that in the case of a
general election either to the House of the People or to State Legislative Assembly,
the ban may come into operation for the period of six months prior to the date of
expiry of the term of the House concerned, and in case of premature dissolution,
from the date of dissolution of the House.

6.10 False declaration in connection with elections to be an offence

Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, contains a provision providing for
punishment with imprisonment up to one year for making a false declaration in connection
with preparation/revision of electoral roll. There is no such provision in the Representation
of the People Act, 1951, in relation to conduct of elections. During the course of an election,
the Election Commission has observed several cases of such false statements/declarations
before the election authorities such as by candidates, representatives of political parties etc.
A provision for punishment for false statement / declaration would be a deterrent against
frivolous complaints and petitions.

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 Recommendations

The Election Commission recommends that there should be a provision for penal
action against those making any false declarations in connection with an election.
Such a provision would provide for a similar punishment for false declarations in
connection with conduct of elections, such as false complaints of booth capturing or
false complaints about the conduct of election officials.

6.11 Punishment for electoral offences to be enhanced

Undue influence and bribery at elections are electoral offences under Sections 171B and
171C, respectively, of the IPC. These offences are non-cognizable offences, with punishment
provision of one year’s imprisonment, or fine, or both. Under Section 171G, publishing a
false statement in connection with an election with intent to affect the result of the election is
only punishable with a fine. Section 171H provides that incurring or authorizing expenditure
for promoting the election prospects of a candidate is an offence. However, punishment for
an offence under this Section is a small fine of Rs 500.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission feels that considering the gravity of the offences under the
aforesaid sections in the context of free and fair elections, the punishments under all
the four sections should be enhanced. This was recommended by the Commission in
1992.

6.12 Restoring the cycle of biennial retirement in the Rajya Sabha/Legislative Councils

A petition was submitted in the Patna High Court last year on the topic of restoring the cycle
of biennial retirement in the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils. The High Court, in its
order, observed that the Government and the Election Commission may consider the matter
for a solution.

 Recommendations

In its December 2004 the Election Commission reiterated the earlier proposal for
amending the law so as to ensure retirement of 1/3 rd of the members in the Rajya
Sabha and State legislative councils after every two years.

6.13 Expenditure ceiling for election to Council Constituencies

Presently the expenditure ceiling for candidates applies only for the Lok Sabha and Assembly
elections.

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

 Recommendations

The Commission has in its letter dated 30 th May 2007 proposed that this should also
be applicable in the case of legislative council elections from the Council
Constituencies. The candidate should also be required to submit the account of
election expenses.

6.14 Misuse of religion for electoral gain by political parties

The Liberhan Ayodhya Commission of Inquiry recommended, inter alia, that complaints of
misuse of religion for electoral gain should be speedily investigated into by the Election
Commission. The Election Commission informed the government (Letter dated January 29,
2010) that such investigations should be carried out by the investigating agencies of the state.
However, the Election Commission invited the attention of the government to the
Representation of the People (Second Amendment) Bill, 1994, whereby an amendment was
proposed providing for provision to question acts of misuse of religion by political parties
before a High Court. Similar recommendations made by the Goswami Committee were
included in a Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha in May 1990. The Government withdrew this
Bill in 1993, stating that a revised Bill would be introduced. However, these provisions have
never been considered since then.

 Recommendations

The Goswami Committee on Electoral Reforms, in its report in 1990, made the
following recommendations: “Election Commission shall have the power to make
recommendations to the appropriate authority (a) to refer any matter for investigation
to any agency specified by the Commission (b) Prosecute any person who has
committed an electoral offence under this Act or (c) appoint any special court for the
trial of any offence or offences under this Act (RP Act 1951).”

The Election Commission recommends that abovementioned provisions should be

reconsidered.

6.15 Totalizer for counting of votes

Currently votes are tallied by individual EVMs at individual polling stations. This exposes
the trend of voting in a particular voting station, making the electorate of that area vulnerable
to backlash by candidates or elected officials in retribution.

 Recommendations

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

The Election Commission recommends an amendment be made to the Conduct of

Elections Rules to provide for the use of ‘totalizer’ for counting of votes cast at more
than one polling station where EVMs are used, so that the trend of voting in
individual polling station areas does not get divulged and the electors may not be
subjected to any harassment or victimization on that account.

6.16 Re-examination of the provision of Teachers’ and Graduates’ Constituencies

Under Article 171 (3) (b) & (c ) of the Constitution, one-twelfth of the seats in the Legislative
Councils are to be filled up by graduates and another one-twelfth by teachers who have been
engaged in teaching in educational institutions not lower in standard than that of a secondary
school. As per the provisions of this Article, a teacher teaching in the lower primary section
in a secondary school is eligible to be enrolled as an elector for the Teachers’ constituency,
whereas a teacher teaching in the middle school in a middle/primary school will not be
eligible to be an elector.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission recommends that the provisions of Article 171 (3) (c)
should be amended so as to provide that all teachers of specified institutions
irrespective of the level of the school would be eligible to be electors for the
Teachers’ constituency. Furthermore, the Commission is of the view that the concept
of special representation for graduates and teachers should itself be reconsidered.

6.17 Victimization of officers drafted for election duties

The Election Commission utilizes the services of a large number of government officers for
election duties, who perform important statutory functions in connection with preparation of
electoral rolls and conduct of elections. The Election Commission has observed many of
these officers are later subjected to humiliation and even vindictive disciplinary action by the
government.

 Recommendations

The Election Commission recommends that in the case of the government officers
performing statutory functions in connection with preparation of electoral rolls, or in
the conduct of elections, consultation with the Election Commission and its
concurrence should be made compulsory before initiating any disciplinary/legal
proceedings by the government. In the case of those officers who have ceased to hold
election related positions, consultation with the Commission should be mandatory for

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

initiating any disciplinary/legal proceedings for a period of one year from the date on
which the officer ceased to hold election related position.

6.18 Disqualification for failure to lodge election expenses

Under Section 10A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission
may disqualify a candidate for three years for failure to lodge the account of election
expenses as per the requirement of the law. Thus, the period of disqualification may end by
the time of the next general election to that House. Therefore, no effective purpose is served
by the disqualification (except that the person cannot contest in the odd bye-election that may
be held during the 3 year period).

 Recommendations

The Election Commission recommends that the period of disqualification under

Section 10A should be increased to 5 years, so that the disqualified person does not
become a candidate at the next general election to the House concerned.

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VII. Regulating Political Parties

Proliferation of political parties is stated as a major concern by many previous committees.

Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows for small groups of people
to form political parties by making only a simple declaration.

In its 2001 report, the National Committee to Review the Working of the Constitution states
that “it is a desirable objective to promote the progressive polarisation of political ideologies
and to reduce less serious political activity.”

According to the Election Commission, a large number of non-serious parties create

excessive load on the electoral system. Of the more than 1100 parties registered with the
Election Commission in 2009, only about 360 actually contested the general election that
year. The Commission also states that part of the problem is that there is no specific provision
to de-register a party.

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution adds that while
proliferation of smaller parties creates “confusion”, any tightening of regulation on the
subject must also take into account “the need to reflect the aspirations of a plural society.”

 Recommendations

The Election Commission proposes that an amendment be made to Section 29A of the
Representation of the People Act, 1951, adding a clause “authorising the Election
Commission to issue necessary orders regulating registration and de-registration of
political parties.”

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, 2001,

recommended that “the Election Commission should progressively increase the
threshold criterion for eligibility for recognition so that the proliferation of smaller
parties is discouraged. Only parties or a pre-poll alliance of political parties registered
as national parties or alliances with the Election Commission be allotted a common
symbol to contest elections for the Lok Sabha. State parties may be allotted symbols
to contest elections for State Legislatures and the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).”

Furthermore, the above Commission recommended that “the rules and by-laws of the
parties seeking registration should include provisions for:
(a) A declaration of adherence to democratic values and norms of the Constitution in
their inner party organisations,
(b) A declaration to shun violence for political gains.

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

(c) A declaration not to resort to casteism and communalism for political

mobilisation, but to adhere to the principles of secularism in the achievement of
their objectives,
(d) A provision for party conventions to nominate and select candidates for political
offices at the grass root and State levels
(e) A code of conduct (which each political party should evolve for itself),
(f) Some institutional mechanism for planning, thinking, and research on crucial
socio-economic issues facing the nation and educational cells for socialising their
party cadres and preparing them for responsibilities of governance,
(g) Implementation of legal provisions regarding representation to women and weaker
sections of society in party offices and in candidacy for elections to Houses of
Legislatures”

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VIII. Auditing of Finances of Political Parties

As mentioned previously in this report, the high cost of elections provides a logic for
corruption in the public arena. This affects not only candidates, but parties as well.

In an order dated March 27, 2003, the Election Commission of India issued an order, in
pursuance of the Supreme Court judgment dated March 13, 2003 in the Peoples Union for
Civil Liberties & Another Vs. Union of India case, that candidates for electoral office must
submit an affidavit disclosing his assets and liabilities. This order, however, does not apply to
political parties.

 Recommendations

The 2004 report of the Election Commission declared that political parties should be
required to publish their accounts (or at least an abridged version) annually for
information and scrutiny of the general public and all concerned, for which purpose
the maintenance of such accounts and their auditing to ensure their accuracy is a pre-
requisite. The auditing may be done by any firm of auditors approved by the
Comptroller and Auditor General. The audited accounts should then be made public.

The Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2002 (introduced in Lok
Sabha on 19th March, 2002) sought to introduce section 29D in the Representation of
the People Act, 1951 in this regard. The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Home Affairs while examining the matter desired that the audit of
accounts of donation received by the political party may be done through Chartered
Accountants appointed by it as at present, as per the provisions of the Income-tax Act
(section 13A). In view thereof the Committee recommended deletion of entire section
29D in Clause 2 of the Bill.

In 2001 the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution

recommended that “audited political party accounts like the accounts of a public
limited company should be published yearly with full disclosures under
predetermined account heads”.

The Law Commission, in its 1999 report, recommended steps be taken to amend the
Representation of the People Act, 1951, to insert a new section 78A requiring the
maintenance, audit and publication of accounts by political parties. To enforce
compliance, Section 78A would prescribe the following penalties: (i) a political party
which does not comply shall be liable to pay a penalty of Rs. 10,000/- for each day
of non-compliance and so long as the non-compliance continues; (ii) If such default

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

continues beyond the period of 60 days, the Election Commission may de-
recognise the political party after affording a reasonable opportunity to show cause;
(iii) If the Election Commission finds on verification, undertaken whether suo motu
or on information received, that the statement of accounts filed is false in any
particular, the Election Commission shall levy such penalty upon the political party,
as it may deem appropriate besides initiating criminal prosecution as provided under
law.

In order to further transparency in the funding of political parties, the Election

Commission recommends the following measures: (i) any receipt by a political party
either directly or through the executives or the party functionaries should be deposited
in the Bank Accounts of such parties, (ii) all payments by the political party
exceeding Rs.20,000/- to a person should be made by crossed account payee cheque
and (iii) all contributions or donations or gifts by any person to a party functionary
other than those by his/her relative(s) shall be deemed as receipts of the political party
and it will be accounted for by the political party.

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IX. Adjudication of Election Disputes

Disputes relating to elections of the State Legislature and Union Legislature are adjudicated
upon exclusively by the High Courts before whom election petitions under Section 80 and
80-A of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, are filed.

Sections 86(6) and 86(7) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, provide that the High
Court shall make an endeavour to dispose of an election petition within six months from its
presentation and also as far as practicably possible conduct proceedings of an election
petition on a day to day basis.

In practice, however, cases involving election petitions are rarely resolved in a timely
manner. According to the report “Ethics in Governance” of the Second Administrative
Reforms Commission, “such petitions remain pending for years and in the meanwhile, even
the full term of the house expires thus rendering the election petition infructuous.

 Recommendations

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, recommended

that special election benches designated for election petitions only should be formed
in the High Court.
The Election Commission has also made a similar recommendation.

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission, in its report “Ethics in

Governance”, recommended in detail that:
“Special Election Tribunals should be constituted at the regional level under
article 329B of the Constitution to ensure speedy disposal of election petitions
and disputes within a stipulated period of six months. Each tribunal should
comprise a High Court judge and a senior civil servant with at least 5 years
experience in the conduct of elections (not below the rank of an Additional
Secretary to the Government of India/Principal Secretary of a State Government).
Its mandate should be to ensure that all election petitions are decided within a
period of six months as provided by law. The Tribunals should normally be set
up for a term of one year only, extendable for a period of 6 months in exceptional
circumstances.’

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X. Review of Anti-Defection Law

In the report “Ethics in Governance” of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, it

is noted that “Defection has long been a malaise of Indian political life. It represents
manipulation of the political system for furthering private interests, and has been a potent
source of political corruption.” The report further notes that “there is no doubt that permitting
defection in any form or context is a travesty of ethics in politics.”

The Anti-Defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, enacted in 1985,
fixed a certain number above which group defections were permitted. The National
Committee to Review the Working of the Constitution noted that although individual
defections became rare after this, group defection were “permitted, promoted and amply
rewarded.”

The 91st Amendment to the Constitution, 2003, changed this by making it mandatory for
defectors to resign their positions regardless of whether they defected as an individual or as
part of a group.

Currently the issue of disqualification of members of Parliament or a State Legislature is

decided by the Speaker or Chairman of the concerned House. Aside from those concerning
the Tenth Schedule all other matters of post-election disqualification are decided by the
President/Governor, on the advice of the Election Commission.

The Election Commission, in its 2004 report, noted that “all political parties are aware of
some of the decisions of the Hon’ble Speakers, leading to controversies and further litigation
in courts of law.” The National Committee to Review the Working of the Constitution noted
that “some of the Speakers have tended to act in a partisan manner and without a proper
appreciation – deliberate or otherwise – of the provisions of the Tenth Schedule.”

 Recommendations

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution recommend

that “the power to decide on questions as to disqualification on ground of defection
should vest in the Election Commission instead of in the Chairman or Speaker of the
House concerned.”

The Election Commission and “Ethics in Governance” report of the Second

Administrative Reforms Commission also both recommended that the issue of
disqualification on grounds of defection should be decided by the President/Governor

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

concerned under the advice of the Election Commission, instead of relying on the
objectivity of the decision from the Speaker.

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

XI. Annexure: Update on Election Commission

Recommendations

The Ministry of Law and Justice has prepared a table reviewing progress made on the
recommendations suggested by the Election Commission in 2004.

In July, 2004, the Election Commission has sent a set of 22 proposals on Electoral Reforms. Further,
the entire matter of electoral reforms was referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice for examination by the Chairman,
Rajya Sabha in the year, 2005.

Out of 22 proposals the Hon’ble Standing Committee gave its recommendations on six proposals
including criminalization of politics. The Department has taken initiative and relevant provisions of
the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Representation of the People Act, 1951 have been
amended to provide for (1) Appointment of Appellate Authority in districts against orders of
Electoral Registration Officers; (2) to increase the security deposit of candidates; (3) Exit Polls; (4)
All officials appointed in connection with conduct of elections to be included in clause (7) of section
123; and (5) Simplification of procedure for disqualification of a person found guilty of corrupt
practice. The Hon’ble Standing Committee did not favour the proposal on carrying out any
amendment relating to the Criminalisation of politics.

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

Brief details of each of the proposal and remarks thereon are as under:-

Sl. No. Proposal of the Election Commission Status/Remarks.

1. Affidavits to be Filed by Candidates on This relates to the merger of two affidavits filed
Criminal Antecedents, Assets, etc. by a candidate one in terms of section 33A of
the Representation of the People Act, 1951,
read with rule 4A of the Conduct of Election
Rules, 1961(in Form 26) and another in the
format prescribed by the Commission vide its
order dated 27.3.2003, in pursuance of the
Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgment dated
13.3.2003 in Civil Appeal No. 490 of 2002
(Peoples Union for Civil Liberties & Another
Vs. Union of India).

2. Need to Increase the Security Deposit of Enacted vide Representation of the People
Candidates (Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act 41 of 2009).

3. Criminalisation of Politics The Government had requested the

Parliamentary Standing Committee to give its
This proposal relates to disqualify any recommendations on the proposal of the
persons accused of an offence Election Commission of India. The Committee
punishable by imprisonment for five in its Eighteenth Report on the subject inter
years or more, from contesting elections alia disagreed with the aforesaid proposal as it
even when trial is pending, provided is a major departure from the law of the land
charges have been framed against him that a person is not guilty until he is convicted
by a competent court. by the highest court of the land. The
Committee, however, recommended that
proclaimed absconders under section 82 of the
Criminal Procedure Code be disqualified from
contesting polls.

4. Restriction on the Number of Seats from In the all party meeting held on 22.5.1998, it
which One May Contest was decided to retain the present provision of
allowing a person to contest from two
This proposal is to amend the law to constituencies of same nature.
provide that a person cannot contest
from more than one constituency at a
time or if the present provision is
retained then there should be a provision
which would mandate to deposit a
definite sum in case a person get elected
from both seats.

5. Exit Polls and Opinion Polls Enacted vide Representation of the People
(Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act 41 of 2009)

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

putting a restriction on publication and

dissemination of results of exit polls.
Restriction of opinion polls needs to be
examined.

6. Prohibition of Surrogate Advertisements Section 127A deals only with publication of

in Print Media. pamphlets, posters, etc., but does not include
advertisement in newspapers. The said section
Section 127A of the Representation of can be amended so as to include advertisement
the People Act, 1951 may be suitably in print media also. However, the matter of
amended, adding a new sub-section regulating advertisements in the print media
(2A) to the effect that in the case of any pertains to the Ministry of Information and
advertisements / election matter for or Broadcasting and Press Council of India and the
against any political party or candidate proposal can be considered on the basis of
in print media, during the election inputs from them.
period, the name and address of the
publisher should be given along with the
matter / advertisement. Sub-section (4)
should also be suitably amended to
include in its ambit the new proposed
sub-section.

7. Negative / Neutral Voting The Committee on Electoral Reforms (Dinesh

Goswami Committee) did not favour it and was
of the view that it does not serve any purpose.

8. Appointment of Appellate Authority in Enacted vide Representation of the People

Districts against Orders of Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act 41 of 2009).
Registration Officers

9. Compulsory Maintenance of Accounts The Election and Other Related Laws

by Political Parties and Audit thereof. (Amendment) Bill, 2002 (introduced in Lok
Sabha on 19th March, 2002) sought to introduce
section 29D in the Representation of the People
Act, 1951 in this regard. The Department-
Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Home Affairs while examining the matter
desired that the audit of accounts of donation
received by the political party may be done
through Chartered Accountants appointed by it
as at present, as per the provisions of the
Income-tax Act (section 13A). In view thereof
the Committee recommended deletion of entire
section 29D in clause 2 of the Bill.

10. Government Sponsored Advertisements. The proposal requires further examination.

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Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

Advertisements on poverty alleviation and

health related schemes could be exempted.
The Commission proposes that where Advertisements revealing information on
any general election is due on the matters of urgent public interest could also be
expiration of the term of the House, exempted. Further, since advertisements could
advertisements of achievements of the be prohibited from carrying the name of any
governments, either Central or State, in political party or photographs of leaders and
any manner, should be prohibited for a Ministers.
period of six months prior to the date of
expiry of the term of the House.

11. Political Advertisements on Television The issue of advertisements on television and

and Cable Network. cable networks, led to a lot of confusion during
the recent general election. The Cable
Television Network (Regulation) Rules, 1994,
This relates to consider amending the prohibit advertisements of political nature.
relevant provisions of the Cable The matter pertains to the Ministry of
Television Network (Regulation) Rules, Information and Broadcasting and that Ministry
1994 to provide for suitable is able to judge the feasibility of evolving a
advertisement code and monitoring suitable advertisement code and monitoring
mechanism. mechanism for advertisement on television and
cable networks in consultation of the Election
Commission and Legislative Department.

12. Composition of Election Commission It was decided to include it as a proposal for

and Constitutional Protection of all regional and national consultation.
Members of the Commission and
Independent Secretariat for the
Commission.

13. Expenses of Election Commission to be The proposal to make the expenses of the
Treated as Charged. Election Commission of India ‘charged’ was
considered by the Dinesh Goswami Committee
but was not favoured. In 1994, the Government,
however, introduced the Election Commission
(Charging of Expenses on the Consolidated
Fund of India) Bill, 1994 in Lok Sabha on
16.12.94 which lapsed on the dissolution of the
Tenth Lok Sabha. The Department-Related
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home
Affairs in its 24th Report on the said Bill
presented to Rajya Sabha on 28.11.1995 and
was of the considered view that there is no need
of passing the proposed Bill and recommends

December 2010 37
Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

that the Bill be dropped

The Election Commission of India again made

a similar proposal in 1997 which was placed
before political parties in the all party meeting
held on 22.5.1998 but no view was taken.
Again, the Election Commission of India made
the same proposal in May, 2003 and on the
direction of the then Hon’ble Prime Minister
the same was placed before the political parties
in the all party meeting held on 29.10.2003. The
debate on the proposal remained inconclusive.

14. Ban on Transfers of Election Officers on This is to amend section 13CC of the
the Eve of Elections Representation of the People Act, 1950, and
section 28A of the Representation of the People
Act, 1951 to provide that no transfer shall be
made, without the concurrence of the
Commission, of any officer referred to therein,
as soon as a general election/bye-election
becomes due in any Parliamentary or Assembly
Constituencies.

15. All Officials Appointed in Connection Enacted vide Representation of the People
with Conduct of Elections to be (Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act 41 of 2009).
included in Clause (7) of Section 123.

16. Anti-Defection Law No view has been taken.

The question of disqualification of

members on the grounds of defection
should also be decided by the President
and Governors, on the opinion of the
Election Commission.

17. Use of Common Electoral Rolls at The matter has been examined and decided to
Elections Conducted by the await the outcome of the discussion between the
Election Commission and State Election
Election Commission and the State Commissions to sort out the modalities in this
Election Commissions regard.

18. Simplification of Procedure for Enacted vide Representation of the People

Disqualification of a Person Found (Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act 41 of 2009).

Guilty of Corrupt Practice.

19. Same Number of Proposers for all It was decided to include it as a proposal for

December 2010 38
Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

Contesting Candidates -Amendment of regional and national consultation.

Section 33 of the Representation of the
People Act, 1951

20. Making of False Declaration in The various legal provisions required to curb
Connection with Election to be an the willful furnishing of incorrect information
Offence. in electoral procedures to ensure the free and
fair election are already there in the Election
Making of any false statement or Laws. Further, keeping in view a large
declaration before the Election population of this country being illiterate, there
Commission, Chief Electoral Officer, would be frequent instances of furnishing
District Election Officer, Presiding incorrect information inadvertently or without
Officer or any authority appointed under any malafide intention by the common man
the Representation of the People Act, while the process of preparation of electoral
1951, in connection with any electoral rolls, etc. and hence, the proposal may create
matter should be made an electoral the fear in the minds of people abstaining
offence under the said Act. themselves from the democratic process of the
country.

21. Rule Making Authority to be Vested in Rule making power has to be vested only with
Election Commission the Government since rules are in the nature of
subordinate legislation, the making of it shall be
Making authority under the only with the Government which is answerable
Representation of the People Act, 1950 to Parliament. Rules are required to be laid
and Representation of the People Act, before Parliament and can be modified and
1951, should be conferred on the nullified if the Houses of Parliament resolve to
Election Commission, instead of on the do so. If rules were to be made by the Election
Central Government, who should, Commission then amendment or modification
however, be consulted by the Election by Parliament may lead to controversy.
Commission while framing any rule.

22. Registration and De-registration of In view the growing number of political parties
Political Parties - Strengthening of registered with the Election Commission for
Existing Provisions perpetuity availing all the facilities like, tax
exemption, political fund contributions,
Under the existing section 29A of the whereas the number of political parties
Representation of the People Act, 1951, regularly contest elections being limited to
another clause may be introduced certain number of registered political parties, it
authorising the Election Commission to is worthwhile to consider the proposal of the
issue necessary orders regulating Election Commission.
registration and de-registration of
political parties.

December 2010 39
Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

December 2010 40
Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

In addition to the aforesaid 22 proposals the Election Commission of India has made,
the Ministry of Law has a certain other proposals on electoral reforms, which are as under:-

(1) Election Expenditure in respect of the Under section 77 and 78 of the R.P. Act,
Teachers and Graduates constituencies:- 1951 every candidate in the election to the
Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies
of State/UTs is required to maintain correct
account of expenditure incurred/authorized
in connection with his election and to lodge
it with the DEO within the 30 days of
election, whereas rule 90 of the Conduct of
Elections Rules 1961 has prescribed a
ceiling for expenditure that can be incurred
in connection with these elections.
However, there is no such provision under
election laws requiring maintaining or
lodging the account of election expenses or
prescribing any ceiling of expenditure in
the case of elections to the Council of
States and the State Legislative Council.

The Election Commission is of the view

that in the interest of free and fair election,
there is urgent need to bring the elections to
the Legislative Councils from the Teachers
and Graduates’ constituencies within the
ambit of section 77 and 78 of the RP Act,
1951 and also prescribing a ceiling of
expenditure that can be incurred/
authorized in these elections.

(2)Amendment to the Conduct of Election No view has been taken.

Rules, 1961 to provide for use of Totaliser
for counting of Votes recorded in EVMs.

(3) Restoration of Cycle of Rajya Sabha Under article 80 and 171 of the
and Legislative Council:- Constitution every second year as nearly as
possible one-third member of the Council
of State and Legislative Council shall retire
every second year. Due to non availability
of the Legislative Assembly in certain
States/Union Territory for continuous
years, the cycle of the Rajya Sabha could
not be maintained and eventually all the

December 2010 41
Background paper Core-Committee on Electoral Reforms

Members of the Council of States from that

States get elected for a period of Six years.
A similar situation is being faced in the
case of Legislative Council in respect of
the States of Bihar, U.P., Karnataka etc.,
due to non availability of Local Bodies,
Assemblies for longer periods.

In this regard it may be submitted that the

Election Commission has suggested some
methods to be adopted to sort out these
eventualities in future.

The Ld. Attorney General for India is of

the view that the sanctity of the provisions
of the Constitution may be maintained and
the cycle of retirement of the Members of
Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council
should be restored.

(4) Appointment of Chief Election One of the Chief Election Commissioners

Commissioner (CEC) and other Election has requested the Government to have a
Commissioners (EC) and consequential collegium consisting of the Prime Minister
matter:- and Leader of Opposition etc. who is
empowered to make recommendations for
appointments of the CEC and ECs. Further,
it has also been suggested that there should
be complete ban for ten years after
retirement from the post of CEC to any
political post.

December 2010 42