Municipality or local elections do not offer opportunity to the people to form a government. So the vote riggers can show restraint in the local elections.
The national election is crucial for choosing a people’s government and not a government of vote riggers. The Chief Election Commissioner has to be conscious of the heavy responsibility he is bearing. He must not think like doing a job for money. He is to assure that the people are getting a government of their choosing.
Most importantly, we expect the EC to be extra-ordinarily accountable to its personal conscience since it will be solely responsible for deciding a public mandate in less than a year to go. Given what has happened in the last general elections, the CEC along with his fellow commissioners must have to be extra cautious. To have the national election with a party government in power in full force with members of the parliament not resigning, there simply do not exist objective conditions for free election.
Additionally, it has become clear from the PM’s speech that her government apprehends ‘that vested quarters might try to create an anarchic situation in the country over the next election’, but the country is not devoid of law enforcement agencies for tackling probable vandalism and anarchy. The fear factor wouldn’t have existed if the EC would act honestly. Election Commission is a powerless sitting duck with the party in government most anxious to remain in power. The party government cannot cooperative with Election Commission to be fair and allow the government to continue in power.
The Election Commission has an active role to play for holding a people’s election for forming a people’s government.
