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YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday called for greater transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission, saying public confidence in constitutional institutions was essential for a democracy.
Reddy said reports that two Election Commissioners had raised objections on several occasions to decisions, electoral rolls and the management of ECINet had raised questions among the public. Democracy can stand only when people have complete confidence in constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission, Reddy said. He said the public needed clarity on the objections recorded by the Election Commissioners, the action taken on them and the transparency with which decisions relating to the addition, deletion or restoration of names in electoral rolls were taken. Rather than an exchange of allegations, the public needs clarity on what objections were recorded, what action was taken on them, and how transparently the system functioned, be it for adding, deleting or restoring names on electoral rolls, he said. Reddy said steps should be taken to strengthen public trust in the electoral process and protect every citizen's right to vote. In a democracy, transparency should not only prevail but should also appear to have prevailed, he said. Calling for a review of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, Reddy said the law should be amended in the current circumstances. He proposed that the Election Commissioner be appointed by a three-member committee comprising the Leader of Opposition, the Chief Justice of India and the Prime Minister. The Central government (Ruling Party) should come forward, set the norm in place, dispelling this fear. An amendment to the bill be brought forward where the election commissioner is appointed by the three-member committee which has Leader of Opposition (LoP), Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the Prime Minister as members once again, he said. Reddy said such a change would help restore public confidence in the Election Commission. He also alleged that the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh had misused its authority during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and said appeals raised by his party had gone unheard. This is especially important because, during the SIR process in Andhra Pradesh, the party in power misused its authority. On many occasions, our appeals went unheard, he said. Reddy further alleged that objections raised by his party over the redrawing of divisions during the local body election process were also ignored. In the local body election process too, our objections as an Opposition party to the manner in which divisions were redrawn were brushed aside. Such actions undoubtedly weaken public confidence in the electoral process, he said. He said transparency and accountability were the key measures of how any institution functions in a democracy, and safeguarding them was the primary responsibility of the institution. (ANI)
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