Need of Electoral Reforms in India
Despite occasional hiccups if the Indian democracy has acquired the image of a vigorous and vibrant form of government, it has also earned the sobriquet of a money and muscle-driven democracy. The reason behind is the electoral system of the country which is still hamstrung with certain crippling factors which make electoral reforms an utmost necessity. Though over the years, the Election Commission has accomplished commendable electoral reforms to fortify democracy and augment the even-handedness of elections, yet a lot is still needed to be done.
Criminalization of politics has marred the piousness of Indian democracy to a big extent. To control the entry of people with criminal background into politics, making false declaration in election affidavits should be declared a very serious offense and those who indulge in this should be barred from contesting elections for a minimum duration of 5 years. Any charge-sheeted persons be barred from entering any Legislative Assembly or Parliament. The membership of any sitting MP/MLA who is convicted later should be suspended.
Then the problem of excessive use of money power is one of the stumbling blocks which results in the flow of black money into elections and leaves candidates with limited resources handicapped. It can be addressed by fixing the ceiling of election expenditure to a reasonable extent. Also, the money spent by the candidates in their election campaign should also be made public. Stare funding of elections can also be a better option as it can ensure level playing field for all the candidates.
A first-past-the-post (abbreviated FPTP or FPP) election is one that is won by the candidate(s) with the most votes. The winning candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.
One of the most important reforms could be the replacing of First Past The Post electoral system with Proportionate Representation System. The First Past The Post (FPTP) system allows political
Criminalization of politics has marred the piousness of Indian democracy to a big extent. To control the entry of people with criminal background into politics, making false declaration in election affidavits should be declared a very serious offense and those who indulge in this should be barred from contesting elections for a minimum duration of 5 years. Any charge-sheeted persons be barred from entering any Legislative Assembly or Parliament. The membership of any sitting MP/MLA who is convicted later should be suspended.
Then the problem of excessive use of money power is one of the stumbling blocks which results in the flow of black money into elections and leaves candidates with limited resources handicapped. It can be addressed by fixing the ceiling of election expenditure to a reasonable extent. Also, the money spent by the candidates in their election campaign should also be made public. Stare funding of elections can also be a better option as it can ensure level playing field for all the candidates.
A first-past-the-post (abbreviated FPTP or FPP) election is one that is won by the candidate(s) with the most votes. The winning candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.
One of the most important reforms could be the replacing of First Past The Post electoral system with Proportionate Representation System. The First Past The Post (FPTP) system allows political