The Hindu : Barnala for `innovations' to cleanse politics

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Barnala for `innovations' to cleanse politics

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, FEB. 21. The Governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, has called for "new innovations" to curb evil practices like rigging and criminalisation of politics, due to the entry of "undesirable elements as candidates".

Inaugurating a one-day all-India State Election Commissioners' conference here on Saturday, he said the election process being a complex exercise, innovations should be evolved from time to time. In this context, he referred to the "highly innovative intervention" of the Supreme Court which ruled that the right of information to voters was a fundamental right and that they were entitled to have information relating to criminal antecedents, assets, liabilities and educational qualifications of candidates contesting elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.

"Though the Supreme Court did not say this in as many words, this ruling equally applies to local body elections, and I am happy to note that a number of State Election Commissions (SECs) have introduced this commendable system for candidates contesting the elections to local bodies," the Governor said. This procedure has the potential to considerably reduce the possibility of candidates of doubtful integrity getting elected.

Pointing out that the powers of local bodies had been vastly enhanced in the wake of constitutional amendments, he said the powers and functions would assume greater meaning and importance only when people who ran them were persons with character, vision, dynamism and impartiality. "In order to see that such people are returned to power, free and fair elections are an imperative condition."

Referring to the reservation of one-third seats for women and the policy of rotation in reservations for empowering vulnerable sections, he said the role of SECs became even more important to ensure that the "overall empowerment of the vulnerable sections becomes a reality and that these reservations are not in any way scuttled by vested interests".

The Governor also referred to the action taken by several SECs against erring officials. It was a matter of great satisfaction that there was an all-round activism in the judiciary as well as in the SECs to punish guilty officials and send across the message that purity of elections was of prime importance and that every public servant should perform his duty with utmost impartiality and responsibility, he said.

Mr. Barnala urged the SECs to adopt the imaginative steps taken so far by the Election Commission and place the elections of local bodies on a par with those of State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha.

Earlier, the State Election Commissioner, K. Madhava Rao, welcoming his counterparts, said the conference would enable the SECs to learn "best practices" from one another. Election Commissioners of 16 States attended.

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