WHY ARE ELECTORAL REFORMS NECESSARY?

THE CONTEXT: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated all-party consultations to address allegations of electoral roll manipulation and duplicate EPIC numbers in recent state elections, particularly in Maharashtra, Delhi, and West Bengal, amid concerns over EVM-VVPAT transparency. Key issues include the Supreme Court’s 2024 dismissal of a PIL demanding 100% VVPAT verification, ₹1,00,000 crore election expenditure in the 2024 LS polls, and 46% of elected MPs facing criminal charges, prompting calls for reforms like EPIC-Aadhaar linkage and stricter Model Code enforcement.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK GOVERNING ELECTIONS:

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

1. Article 324:

• • • Grants the Election Commission of India (ECI) exclusive authority over electoral roll preparation, election conduct, and dispute resolution.
    • Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling upheld ECI’s independence, mandating a Selection Committee (PM, CJI, Leader of Opposition) for appointing CEC/ECs until Parliament enacts a law.
    • Judicial Safeguards: SC in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India (1995) affirmed ECI’s autonomy, rejecting executive interference in multi-member commissions.

2. Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950 & 1951:

• • • RPA 1950: Governs delimitation, electoral roll preparation, and voter qualifications.
    • RPA 1951: Regulates election conduct, disqualification of candidates, and dispute resolution.
    • Section 23 (RPA 1950): Mandates ECI to update rolls annually; ERONET 2.0 (2025) now centralizes EPIC issuance to eliminate duplicates.

ELECTORAL ROLL MANAGEMENT

1. Registration of Electors Rules, 1960:

• • • Rule 5: Caps voters per polling booth at 1,200 (urban) and 1,000 (rural) to ensure accessibility.
    • Rule 21A: Allows EROs to delete duplicate/deceased voters; 4.8 lakh entries purged in Maharashtra (2024) post-allegations.

2. ERONET 2.0:

• • • Centralized database integrates 95 crore+ electors; enables EPIC portability across states.
    • June 2025 Deadline: ECI aims to resolve duplicate EPIC cases via Aadhaar linkage pilots in Gujarat and Punjab.

VOTING MECHANISMS: EVMS & VVPATS

1. EVM Architecture:

• • • Control + Ballot Units: Designed by IIT Bombay; write-once memory prevents tampering.
    • VVPAT Integration: Mandatory since 2019; 4.17 lakh VVPATs deployed in 2024 LS polls.

2. Legal & Technical Safeguards:

• • • Supreme Court Directives:
      • 2013: Ordered VVPAT introduction for transparency (Subramanian Swamy vs ECI).
      • 2024: Dismissed PIL for 100% VVPAT verification but allowed 5% EVM microcontroller checks post-results.
    • Statistical Rigour: 2% random VVPAT audits (20,625 machines in 2019) showed zero discrepancies.

THE ISSUES:

VOTING AND COUNTING

1. EVMs & VVPATs: Trust Deficit vs. Techno-Legal Safeguards

• • 2024 SC Ruling: Dismissed ADR’s PIL demanding 100% VVPAT-EVM matching, terming it “logistically infeasible” and a threat to voter secrecy. Allowed 5% EVM microcontroller checks post-results.
  • Data Integrity: 20,625 VVPATs verified in 2019 elections showed zero discrepancies; EVMs remain air-gapped (no internet connectivity) to prevent hacking.
  • Criticisms:
    • Opposition Demands: 21 parties sought 50% VVPAT audits (2019), citing Brazil’s 2017 paper ballot reversion after EVM glitches.

2. Electoral Roll Manipulation: ERONET vs. Legacy Issues

• • EPIC Duplication: 12,000+ duplicate IDs in West Bengal (2024) due to pre-2016 decentralized systems.
  • ERONET 2.0: Centralized database integrated 95 crore+ voters; aims to resolve duplicates by June 2025 via geo-tagged Aadhaar pilots.
  • 39 lakh voters added in Maharashtra (2024) in 5 months, exceeding Himachal’s total electorate, sparking allegations of “ghost voters”.
  • Privacy Concerns: Justice B.N. Srikrishna warns Aadhaar-EPIC linkage risks violating Puttaswamy’s proportionality test unless anonymized.

3. Voter Accessibility: Token Systems & Inclusivity Gaps

• • Token-Based Queues: Piloted in Pune (2024) to reduce wait times; critics argue it excludes marginalized voters unfamiliar with tech.
  • Home Voting: 81 lakh 85+ voters and 90 lakh PwDs availed postal ballots in 2024 LS polls, but rural areas face staff shortages.
  • Booth Limits: EC caps 1,200 voters/booth, yet Delhi’s Okhla constituency reported 2.5-hour queues in 2025 polls.

CAMPAIGN PROCESS

1. Model Code Violations: Rhetoric vs. Accountability

• • Delhi 2025: 1,100+ MCC violations recorded, including hate speeches by Star Campaigners; EC lacks power to cancel candidature.
  • ADR Report (2024): 68% of MCC complaints in 2024 LS polls involved caste/communal appeals; EC acted on only 12%.

2. Unregulated Expenditure: Black Money & Vicious Cycle

• • 2024 LS Polls: ₹1.2 lakh crore spent (CMS estimate), surpassing US’s $14.4 bn 2020 elections; 90% from unaccounted sources.
  • Loopholes: ADR notes ₹9,000 crore in corporate donations via electoral bonds (2023-24), favoring incumbent parties.
  • Former CEC S.Y. Quraishi advocates state-funded elections and caps on party spending under RPA amendments.

3. Criminalization of Politics: Institutional Erosion

• • 2024 LS Data: 46% MPs face criminal charges (ADR), including 31% with rape/murder cases; UP’s Phulpur elected a don-turned-MLA.
  • Judicial Delays: 435 MPs/MLAs have pending trials for 5+ years; SC’s Ashwini Upadhyay PIL seeks lifetime bans for convicted lawmakers.
  • Vohra Committee (1993): Warned of politician-mafia nexus; 2025 EC directives for fast-track courts remain unimplemented.

THE PURPOSED REFORMS:

Voting Process Reforms

1. EVMs & VVPATs: Bridging Trust Gaps

• • Region-Wise VVPAT Verification:
    • SC’s 2024 Rationale: Dismissed 100% manual counting (ADR vs ECI, 2024) but allowed 5% EVM microcontroller checks, citing logistical challenges and zero discrepancies in past audits.
    • Scientific Sampling: As per Indian Statistical Institute, region-based stratified sampling (e.g., dividing states into 5 zones) could reduce errors to <0.01% confidence interval while maintaining efficiency.
    • Dr. Subhashis Banerjee (IIT Delhi) proposes blockchain-based audit trails for VVPATs, enabling real-time, tamper-proof verification without manual intervention.
  • Totaliser Machines:
    • Functionality: Aggregates votes from 14 EVMs to prevent booth-level profiling, replicating Rule 59A (1961) ballot mixing.
    • Global Precedent: Brazil’s 2022 elections used similar tech, reducing post-poll violence by 37%.
    • Legal Hurdle: Pending RPA amendment; Law Commission’s 2015 endorsement remains unimplemented.

2. EPIC-Aadhaar Linkage: Privacy vs. Integrity

• • ERONET 2.0:
    • Progress: Integrated 95 crore+ electors; aims for unique EPIC numbers by June 2025 via geo-tagged Aadhaar pilots in Gujarat/Punjab.
    • 12,000 duplicate EPICs purged in West Bengal (2024) using ERONET’s AI-driven deduplication.
    • Privacy Safeguards: Justice B.N. Srikrishna recommends hash-based encryption to comply with Puttaswamy’s proportionality test.
  • Decentralized Engagement:
    • ERO-Level Dialogues: EC’s March 2025 directive mandates all-party meetings to address issues like Maharashtra’s 39 lakh “suspect voters” added pre-2024 polls.

Campaign Process Reforms

1. Enforcing Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

• • Star Campaigner Accountability:
    • Legal Basis: ADR’s 2024 Report notes 68% MCC violations involved caste/communal rhetoric; EC acted on only 12% due to weak penalties.
    • Reform: Amend Paragraph 16A, Symbols Order (1968) to allow EC to suspend party recognition for severe violations, as done in 2019 Rampur hate speech case.
    • Judicial Backing: Sriram Panchu (Sr. Advocate) argues for using Article 324 to cancel candidatures, akin to SC’s 2024 directive on AI deepfake regulation.

2. Expenditure Regulation: Curbing Black Money

• • Caps & Transparency:
    • 2024 LS Polls: ₹1.2 lakh crore spent (CMS), with 90% from unaccounted sources; corporate donations via electoral bonds favored incumbents (₹9,000 crore in 2023-24).
    • State Funding: Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) proposed ₹50 lakh/constituency grants; pilot in Kerala (2023) reduced cash seizures by 42%.
    • Global Model: South Africa’s ₹200 crore/party cap; India’s RPA needs amendment to include “financial assistance” within candidate limits.

3. Criminalization of Politics: Breaking the Nexus

• • Fast-Track Courts:
    • Odisha Model: 14 special courts disposed of 43 MLA/MP cases in 2024; pendency reduced by 28%.
    • SC’s 2023 Directive: Ordered HCs to create special benches for 5,175 pending cases; prioritizes charges with death/life imprisonment.
  • Disqualification Reforms:
    • Law Commission (2014): Recommended disqualification at charge-framing stage for offences with 5+ years jail; pending Parliament nod.
    • ADR’s 2025 Suggestion: Lifetime bans for convicted lawmakers, as endorsed by EC in Ashwini Upadhyay PIL.

Emerging Dimensions

1. Tech-Driven Solutions:

• • • Blockchain Roll Audits: Telangana’s 2023 pilot reduced duplicates by 18%; scalable via ERONET 2.0.
    • AI Surveillance: EC’s 2025 toolkit flags deepfakes using NLP but lacks legal teeth under the IT Act.

2. Global Lessons:

• • • Germany: Banned EVMs in 2009; India’s M3 EVMs with OTP chips counter hacking fears.
    • Netherlands: The mixed-member proportional system reduces money power; EC mulls the pilot in Kerala.

3. Grassroots Participation:

• • • Deliberative Democracy: Kerala’s 2024 “Voter Shakti” initiative trained 2 lakh citizens to report MCC breaches via the app.

THE CONCLUSION:

India’s electoral future hinges on a “Tech-Moral Framework”—leveraging blockchain-audited ERONET 2.0 for 95 crore voters’ integrity while enforcing constitutional morality via lifetime bans for tainted lawmakers (ADR’s 46% criminal MPs). By fusing Ambedkar’s vision of “one vote, one value” with AI-driven MCC surveillance, India can resurrect democracy as a participatory sacrament, not a transactional spectacle.

UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:

Q. Discuss the procedures to decide the disputes arising out of the election of a Member of the Parliament or State Legislature under The Representation of the People Act, 1951. What are the grounds on which the election of any returned candidate may be declared void? What remedy is available to the aggrieved party against the decision? Refer to the case laws. 2022

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. India’s electoral integrity faces multidimensional challenges ranging from technological vulnerabilities to ethical erosion in political campaigning. Suggest innovative reforms to strengthen India’s electoral democracy.

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/why-are-electoral-reforms-necessary-explained/article69340154.ece

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