It is most ridiculous to suggest that the Election Commission should have a permanent machinery to conduct elections, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said in Mumbai on Saturday. He was talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a felicitation programme organised by the South Indian Education Society and Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha in Mumbai.
“How will we employ 11 million people for two weeks’ time,” he asked. He admitted that the Election Commission has to go a long way before curbing the widespread use of black money during elections. “We have seized Rs. 1,000 crore black money in the past four years. Rs. 300 crore was seized this year alone. But I agree that there is 10 to 20 times more black money spent during the elections. But it is done so well that they hoodwink the system. We have to work on that,” he said.
The thanks-giving programme was organised by SIES to recognise the mammoth task undertaken by the Election Commission over the years. Five former Chief Election Commissioners — M.S. Gill, J.M. Lyngdoh, T.S. Krishnamurthy, Navin Chawla and Mr. Quraishi — were felicitated during the occasion. Current Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath did not attend the function.
During the function, Mr. Lyngdoh emphasised on the need for the Commission to exclude divisive politicians from the polling process. All the ex-bureaucrats spoke candidly about the measures which should be undertaken by the Election Commission to conduct better elections in the country.
“Ours is a vast country. Due to colonial past, we have all been put together. But whenever we are in the process of embracing, the politicians come and try to divide us. The Election Commission, under section 324 of the Constitution, will have to find ways to exclude candidates who divide the country,” Mr. Lyngdoh said.
He blamed the computers for the recent mass deletions in the voters’ lists during these elections, and suggested that the Commission should stop relying heavily on computers.
“It is hard work to put everyone on electoral list. In a zeal to add numbers, we seem to have forgotten many long-time voters. In cities like Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, entire streets or buildings have been excluded. It may be the mischief of computers. It is the overdependence on computers which has to be rectified,” he said.
While Mr. Lyngdoh suggested measures for throwing out divisive politicians, Mr. Gill called for runoff elections. Harping on the importance of electoral reforms, he said that the runoff voting system which is practised in France, will curb communal and casteist overtures in elections.
“In such a system, no one will be able to appeal to religion or caste, because there will remain no constituency where you won’t have to hug people you don’t like. It will destroy the business of one caste and one religion,” he said.
Mr. Gill also appealed to the educated voters to shrug off apathy and come out to vote.
Speaking on the occasion, chief guest and Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan questioned NOTA option, and suggested it should be removed. “Why is it? Is it democracy? We should think about it. There is no meaning in it because we say we aren’t voting for anyone at all,” he said.
V. Shankar, president of Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, congratulated the former CECs and said that the Election Commission can be legitimately proud for nurturing and blossoming democracy in the country.
Former CECs T.N. Seshan and N. Gopalaswami could not remain present, but they sent their messages through video recording.
