The E.C. has generally received praise from the media as well as the political parties for its reasonable success in completing the 15th General Elections satisfactorily. Here, in this press release, the E.C. congratulates itself, by bringing to notice some of the highlights of this election. Contrary to what one might have expected, the full Commission has chosen to express its gratitude to the former CEC, N.Gopalaswami, for having guided the elections till the first phase was over. The highlight of this highlight is that the staff strength of the EC’s secretariat in New Delhi is just 310! When you consider the huge scale of this election, it is indeed surprising. But is the Commission’s “immense satisfaction” over its performance justified? With so many voters complaining about their non-inclusion in the rolls, clearly there is a case for streamlining enrolment, so that we are able to at least enrol all who want to vote.
The minimum we can expect from Election commission in 21st century is:
1.Ability to register as a voter at your current residence without using one permanent voter id card.
2.A single phase election without having to face extremities of weather.
3.A centralised digital database of the antecdents of all candidates.
4.A more participative and consultative approach towards model code of conduct.
5.A real time update of funds spent on electioneering by all candidates and the source thereof.