— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

PRAISE FOR INSTITUTION: Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon addressing mediapersons before demitting office in New Delhi on Thursday.

New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon has suggested that a new mechanism be evolved for the appointment of Election Commissioners, on the lines of the exercise for the National Human Rights Commission and the Central Vigilance Commission.

Talking to presspersons before demitting office here on Thursday, Mr. Tandon said he had written to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in his personal capacity, giving this suggestion.

Composition of panel

He suggested that a procedure be laid down for the appointments by a committee headed by the Prime Minister. The panel could include the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Law Minister, the Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and a Supreme Court judge, to be nominated by the Chief Justice.

Mr. Tandon said the three-member Election Commission was working well, and there was no need to make it a five-member body.

Office of profit issue

On the Left criticism of his handling of the office of profit issue, Mr. Tandon said the Commission was duty-bound to carry out its constitutional obligation if a petition against an MP or MLA was referred to it by the President or the Governor. Rejecting the charge that it acted in haste in certain cases, he said, "The Commission is transparent. We have not slowed down the process. We have not expedited it. It is taking a normal and judicial process."

On the charge that the petition against Congress president Sonia Gandhi was hurriedly disposed of as "infructuous," Mr. Tandon said the Commission acted keeping in view the Supreme Court decisions. On holding the byelection for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat within a short period, he said the Commission took into consideration all vacancies notified for byelections.

Asked why he did not act on the demand for the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, Mr. Tandon said the President had not referred the petition to him. Now the matter was sub judice.

On state funding of elections, he said there was no consensus among political parties. The Commission sent its recommendations to the Government on Thursday.

"Ceiling on expenditure"

He expressed concern that money power was playing a major role in elections. Partial funding was not a solution as there were many loopholes in the existing ceiling on expenditure by political parties. "There should be total transparency in the flow of funds to political parties, and there should be a ceiling on expenditure incurred by political parties in elections."

Mr. Tandon, who retired after 42 years of service, including five years in the Commission, said the election machinery should be independent and free from any influence. Over the years, the Commission had not only generated confidence and faith among the voters and political parties in its impartiality, credibility and independence but also created a niche for itself in the domestic and international arenas.

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