ELECTORAL REFORMS: THE SUCCINCT CLINIC OF LIVING INDIAN DEMOCRACY (Pages 166-184) by Dr. Yugal Jha in THE INTERNATIONAL MANAGER / ISSN: 2348-9413 (Online); 2348-9405 (Print)

An electoral process through which the people give their verdict is integral to democracy .India is a democracy with parliamentary form of government. In a democracy, the people govern themselves under a system they chose and through representatives they elect .Election therefore, are the bedrock of democracy .It is a matter of pride that we are the largest democracy in the world. Chief election commissioner, S.y.Qureshi put it succinctly when he said on April 30, 2012, ‘Democracy, elections and voting were connected by a single thread, and together they help in the emergence of a responsible moral society that avoids coercion and force… They also allow people recurrently to choose their own leaders and determine their own destiny. It is however, imperative that people’s verdict, is free from any form of exterior influences.’ Our electoral system unfortunately has proved to be highly divisive of society. It is afflicted by the maladies of 4Cs – Corruption, Criminalization, Casteism and Communalism and 3MPs- Money power, Muscle power, and Mafia power. In fact, electoral system and political parties are at the roots of corruption, Criminalization, Casteism and Communalism. It is full of faults but we know of none better today .Recent effort of the election commission have improved the situation little ,but the electrol reforms the Election Commission has suggested is still incomplete. In fact, of all the political reforms being talked about today, the Electoral reforms are perhaps the most important ones. These can effectively change money power and muscle power which have ,over the years , tended to vitiate the entire electoral process and making thing easy for corrupt and criminal elements to enter law- making bodies and seats of power, both at the Centre and in States. Let it be clearly understood that democracy is all about elected representatives now .Days of City-states and direct democracy are gone .All these recent talk of peoples direct participation in making of law is unpractical and humbug. People’s representatives run the government. It is imperative therefore, that right people are sent to Parliament and state legislatures. The people therefore, must be helped with effective electoral reforms and stringent electoral laws. There are a whole lot of things to be done by way of electoral reforms in India. However, serious electoral reforms must begin with three major initiatives. First, we must stop criminals and law-breakers from being able to contest election and to win them with the use of money and muscle-power. Second, we must change the system of elections from the FPP or “winner take all” system to a majority electoral system like the “second ballot”. Third, we must staunchly oppose the use of electronic voting machines.These are electoral imperatives that are attainable through concerned public activism. Keywords: electoral process, bedrock of democracy, SAARC countries, Chief Election Commission, Electoral Reforms