Credibility of the Election Commission: A Deep Dive into Recent Controversies
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity & Governance (Election Commission of India - ECI: its constitution, powers, functions, appointment of commissioners; Electoral Rolls; Right to Vote).
Mains: GS Paper 2 (Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies; Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act; Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability; Role of Judiciary).
Key Highlights from the News
Main Issue: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has recently been embroiled in several controversies, raising serious questions about the institution's credibility.
Key Controversies:
Voter List Manipulation: Allegations by the opposition regarding manipulation of voter lists in Mahadevapura, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar: The exclusion of 65 lakh voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar caused a major controversy. This issue is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court.
Appointment of Election Commissioners: A new law giving the government a majority in the committee that selects Election Commissioners raises concerns about the commission's impartiality.
Supreme Court's Intervention: The Supreme Court, intervening in the Bihar SIR issue, directed the ECI to publish the list of 65 lakh excluded individuals with reasons, emphasizing the importance of transparency and natural justice.
Other Demands: The opposition demands that voter lists be provided in machine-readable voter rolls for proper verification, but the ECI rejects this due to cyber security concerns.
Problem of Migrant Voters: The issue of migrant voters not being able to vote from their place of work has not yet been resolved.
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