Call for consensus to prevent individuals with criminal records from contesting Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday called for challenging the influence of money and muscle power [in elections] and strive for greater transparency.
Ms. Gandhi also stressed the need to build a consensus on preventing individuals with criminal records from contesting elections.
She was addressing the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Election Commission of India.
The country’s poll management had become a model and attracted international attention. The process and procedure followed in the run-up to elections received widespread credibility and acceptance.
As for more representation to women in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies, Ms. Gandhi said: “We have taken the first step by introducing legislation [the Women’s Reservation Bill] in the Upper House, but unfortunately we are still some distance away from its becoming a reality.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said the country could feel “justifiably proud” of the Election Commission as it had held 15 Lok Sabha elections and 326 polls to Assemblies. This was not a mean achievement.
Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily assured the Election Commission of the government’s full support for its electoral reforms proposal. The consultation process would begin in June.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said the fact that even a powerful person in politics was afraid of the Election Commission was a tribute to its fairness and credibility in conducting polls.
National Democratic Alliance convenor and Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav urged the Commission to ensure that the common man exercised his franchise easily.
Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla commended political parties for displaying immense maturity in strengthening democracy. Election Commissioners S.Y. Quraishi and V.S. Sampath participated.
Prominent political leaders who attended the function were: Union Communications Minister A. Raja, BJP president Nitin Gadkari, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan and national secretary D. Raja, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh, JD(S) president H.D. Deve Gowda, Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee, Praja Rajyam Party president Chiranjeevi, Indian National Lok Dal president Om Prakash Chautala, National Conference president Omar Abdullah, People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, Lok Jan Shakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan, Nationalist Congress president Sharad Pawar and Shiromoni Akali Dal president Prakash Singh Badal.
Jayalalithaa, Sonia exchange pleasantries
Informed sources said AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa, who visited New Delhi after more than two years, and Ms. Sonia Gandhi had an eye-to-eye meeting when they were waiting in the VIP lounge for the arrival of the President. They exchanged pleasantries and enquired about each other’s well being.
Replying to a journalist’s question on the Gujarat government’s legislation making voting in local bodies elections mandatory, Mr. Chawla said it was “almost impossible to enforce” mandatory voting nationwide. But he refused to comment on the Gujarat law, saying the State Election Commissioner was an independent constitutional authority, and he must respect that position.
