More than shooting in the dark
Reading the fine lines
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 13, 2012 -

This may probably qualify as shooting in the dark, but there is also something called reading between the lines and the decision of the Election Commission of India to depute three special observers to monitor or take an active part in comparing the photos taken just before the voter casts his or her vote with the photo on the Elector Photo Identity Card may perhaps merit a more insightful study.

The immediate purpose of the photo comparison exercise is to check bogus voting or proxy voting but it fits into the overall scheme of keeping a sharp tab on the election process and take it as close as possible to the definition of electing the people's representatives in the correct manner.

And what do we understand by the term of making the election as meaningful as it can and should be ?It is obvious that the ECI means business and the censuring of a political personality no less than Mr Salman Khurshid for his remarks on minorities' sub-quota during an election meeting at Uttar Pradesh should be enough indication.

Salman Khurshid is not just an average Joe, but the Union Minister for Law and Minority Affairs and the message is loud and clear.

Take the other measures taken up with this particular case in mind and then look at the arrival of the three special observers sent by the Election Commission of India and things may be read a little more than the task of photo comparison ! To appreciate this, a broader understanding of electoral mal-practises may just be what the ECI has prescribed.

It is not only about bogus voters, threats and intimidations, proxy voting, impersonating a genuine voter or even waking up the dead to cast their votes but should predate the actual voting day exercise such as the assets declaration and other information demanded from the candidates and the political parties.

And so the interesting point to note or raise here is whether the three special observers are here to be just a part of the team assigned with the task of comparing the photos or whether their briefs exceed this or not.

As we see it, electoral malpractices should be understood and viewed beyond its conventional understanding if the exercise to check this is to have any significant meaning.

It is precisely because of this why the Chief Election Commissioner of India has been talking about bringing in certain electoral reforms, since the very system is flawed.

The mandatory exercise of making each candidate announce his or her assets, qualifications etc to be able to contest the election is to let the people have a fair idea of who the candidates are.

However, without going into details, it is common knowledge that the exercise of declaring assets to promote the sense of people's participation in the election process of the largest democracy of the world has been turned on its head and reduced to a joke.

It would be fruitful and healthy for the country and society as a whole if the ECI focuses on this with the merit it deserves, for blatant fudging of one's assets in a public document is the first step towards cocking a snook at the efforts taken up to make the election as clean as possible.

Let the three special observers do the jobs assigned to them with the sincerity and the sense of responsibility it carries.

And if our 'shooting in the dark' has any meaningful connotations then let the reading between the fine lines become more significant.

Ultimately it is about a question of saying that election is not for jokers, who have the wherewithal to beat the system.

The strictures laid down by the ECI should remain that and not be reduced along the line of 'beating the system.

' Start from the assets declaration documents, is our stand.