Poll panel slipped too often in this election
Since the legendary TN Seshsan rejuvenated the Election Commission in the early 1990s, the poll panel has done a remarkable job of conducting free and fair elections in this country. A few aberrations in its record notwithstanding, the panel has improved its performance with every election — be it in terms of implementing electoral laws or enforcing the Model Code of Conduct or checking errant poll officers and politicians alike. The Election Commission has used technological advancements to benefit the people and also it built itself the reputation of being a fair and unbiased body, fiercely independent of any political machinations. Put together, these characteristics won the Election Commission not just the trust of the people but also a hallowed space in the public consciousness. Unfortunately, that space has suffered some damage in the course of this general election, with the Election Commission failing to contain poll violence and electoral fraud. Additionally, there have also been quite a few complaints of poll mismanagement and official indifference, not to mention charges of political partisanship.
let's start with election violence: While much of the month-long polling process was indeed peaceful, there has also been one too many instances of political unrest. In West Bengal, especially the situation was grim with at least a dozen deaths but the Election Commission failed to respond effectively. Central security personnel, whose deployment is the poll panel's responsibility, were missing in action for the most part. Equally worrying has been the Election Commission's inability to check electoral fraud. Again in Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress has been accused of intimidating voters, capturing polling booths and stuffing ballot boxes. Such has been the scale of vote rigging that it brought together the three major Opposition parties in the State. The left, the Congress and the BJP launched a vociferous protest against the Trinamool Congress but the Election Commission seemed unperturbed. When it finally did take some action, it was in a half-hearted manner which explains why Trinamool Congress goons have been emboldened enough to repeat their fraud tactics even during re-poll.
In the early phases of election, there were also reports of defective Electronic Voting Machines wherein all the votes were going to one candidate, irrespective of which button had been pressed. Such faulty machines were found across the country and, in some cases, they had to be replaced in the midst of the polling process. In response, when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy suggested that the EVMs produce a paper trail so that the voter knows that his ballot has not been tampered with, the Election Commmission brushed him aside on the specious ground that the EVM technology was fool-proof. As the polling process continued, reports of faulty voter lists also poured in. An estimated six lakh voters were missing from the electoral rolls in Mumbai while another lakh did not make it to the list in Pune. The Election Commission apologised but that is hardly any comfort for disenfranchised voters. And then, of course, there were the high-decibel matches between the Election Commission and top political leaders. The poll panel's refusal to let the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi campaign in Varanasi while rival Rahul Gandhi was allowed to hold a roadshow in the same location naturally led to charges of partisan behaviour which have diminished the Commission's stature. Similarly, the debate over candidates' flaunting their party symbols, ostensibly in violation of the model code of conduct, was a needless distraction. It also highlighted the urgent need to update the Code in keeping with the times.