Kartik Lokhande's blog

By Kartik Lokhande Electoral reforms have been a topic of continuing debate over the years in India. Sometimes, the issue of funding gets prominence. Sometimes, issues pertaining to manifestos are pushed to centre-stage of debate. However, every time, not much of ‘action’ takes places, except for framing of guidelines. The latest case relates to failure of political parties in fulfilling their pre-poll promises made in their manifestos. In reply to a query made under Right to Information Act, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made it clear that it has ‘no power’ to take action against political parties failing to deliver on the election promises. Stating that it has framed guidelines to be followed by parties for election manifesto, ECI has ‘urged’ political parties to desist from making ‘such’ commitments. This is not the first time that the issue of political parties failing to keep their promises made to voters during pre-poll campaign, has cropped up. What...

Dear friends,  This is first of my attempts to write an independent opinion article exclusively for my blogspot. I sincerely await your comments on this one... Kartik FREE AND FAIR? The latest recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 61st report on electoral reforms are nothing but one more step of Indian political class towards snubbing institutions set up to ensure free and fair elections.  Snubbing is the only word that can describe the intention of political class. There is no rationale and moral behind recommending to strip the Election Commission of India (ECI) of certain powers vested in it. Stripping off the ECI’s power to de-recognise a political party will create a system wherein any party may get and continue to be recognised irrespective of share of votes it garners.  The Parliamentary panel has observed that ‘persons other than members of the House should not be giv...