Election freebies under Supreme Court glare
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 04, 2022 -
IF at all the Supreme Gourt endorses the plea seeking registration of FIRs and disqualification of candidates belonging to various political parties, for offering freebies during election times, then it is obvious that many would not only be at the receiving end of the verdict but also seriously ponder over before jumping into electoral politics.
In every election, the official campaign revolves around declaration of developmental projects and initiation of welfare programmes. At the individual level richer candidates luring the voters with material assistance has been the norm, at-least in Manipur.
Amid such widespread practices, which both the candidates and the political parties consider as logical, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a directive to disqualify candidates who promised freebies during the on-going assembly elections in some states.
Though the petitioner namely Surjit Singh Yadav, who is vice president of NCO Hindu Sena, didn't mention candidates and parties in the fray in the Manipur elections, implication of the court's decree in favour of the petitioner will definitely be felt here as well for certain candidates have announced various sops at their individual level and promised to deliver the same if elected.
Likelihood of the apex court upholding the plea and passing a judgment could also be gauged from observation of the bench presided over by Chief justice NV Ramana that 'election bribing is taking place everywhere.
It is not for a particular state,' and agreeing to list the matter for hearing after listening to brief submissions on Wednesday.
While it is unimaginable at this juncture how elections could be fought without the political parties keeping the voters in jovial mood with promises for a better future, there has been a recent trend of announcing election-centric sops unmistakably aimed at luring the adult franchisees.
Contrary to assurances of executing infrastructure development projects and maintain socio-political stability in any region which seem legally appropriate, promises for creation of jobs amid the sharply rising population of jobless people or distribution of laptops and motor vehicles are primarily intended to gain political mileage.
For now, the petition mentioned candidates fielded by the Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and also the candidates representing Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab in the current Assembly elections but it needs no reminding that ruling of the court in favour of the petitioner would be binding in all 'the states and union territories.
As per the plea, an offer or promise by a political party, its leader, candidates set up in the elections, may be declared to be indulging in corrupt practices and bribery under the Representations of People Act, 1951 and the candidates set up by such political parties may be declared disqualified from contesting the election in that state.
In view of the common phenomenon of political parties and candidates offering freebies during Assembly elections, the top court might decide that it is high time to make the call for stopping the trend of political parties inducing voters by making offer of gifts and other goods from the public exchequer.
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