Why the hell did Election Commission remove details of the private assets of parliamentarians from its website? Under whose pressure did it do so? Didn’t its mandarins know that by doing so they would be striking at the very roots of the Freedom of information law? By this ill-advised act, the EC has lost its credibility in the eyes of the common man. Politicians, particularly, those holding any public office are supposed to declare up to date figure of their wealth and earnings every year to the EC as they cannot keep them hidden from the public eye.
Experience of hindsight tells us that the EC in this country has never enjoyed a good reputation. Its track record is very poor. In the past many Chief Election Commissioners, who were retired officials were appointed by the sitting governments with a clear understanding that ‘I will scratch your back and you will scratch mine’More often than not, the CECs never disappointed the rulers by coming up to their expectations. Small wonder, that barring the 1970 election, which was considered to be the fairest general election ever held in this country, the rest of the elections were gerrymandered, one way or the other. Election laws look good on paper but what good are they if they are not implemented in letter and spirit. Seldom has the EC bared its teeth to the erring parliamentarians who fail to declare their private assets on the appointed date very year, or to those who overspend money on their election campaign than the amount fixed under the law for it.
The tragedy with us is that our politics is dominated by either feudal lords or by those politicians who belong to the industrial class. The EC is their essential requirement to come into power just as a deputy commissioner or an SP in a district is being used by them as their hand maiden for furtherance of their political agenda. Unless the present system is uprooted one should not harbour any illusion that there will be no gerrymandering in the elections.
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