EC plans meet on electoral reforms
The Election Commission of India is all set to hold consultations as part of a roadmap for implementing comprehensive electoral reforms. The agenda circulated for discussions and suggestions range from voting rights to NRIs to criminalisation of politics to compulsory voting and ways to enhance the confidence of voters in electronic voting machines.
Addressing a press conference in the company of the Union law minister Veerappa Moily, chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi couldn’t guarantee a timeframe within which voting rights to NRIs could be enabled. He said, “Rules are being framed. We met the foreign secretary and secretaries, overseas Indian affairs ministry, and the law ministry. Our effort is to be ready with the draft rules by the end of this month.”
Replying to a query on whether the plan would come into force before the Assembly elections to Kerala, the CEC said, “The complexities are enormous. It is not a very easy task because we don’t want to create confusion and chaos. But we are looking at the possibilities. No promise.”
Talking about the criminalisation of politics, Mr Quraishi referred to the recommendation of the law commission which advocated that those against whom charges have been framed by a court of law should be prevented from contesting the polls.
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