Chief election commissioner (CEC) Dr S.Y. Quraishi on Tuesday said the primary concern for the election commission is the “money power” or black money that is spent during election. He also added that elections were a source of corruption.
Dr Quraishi, while addressing a seminar called “Democracy at Crossroads — Need for Electoral Reforms”, also stressed on the need for electoral reforms, including that of adding the “none of the above” option in electronic voting machines.
“The problem bothering us is money power, the black money involved at the time of elections. That is why we made it compulsory for candidates to open a new account before elections; we also maintain shadow registers and monitor them virtually. State sponsored elections too will not make elections clean,” Dr Quraishi said.
Of every crore seen to be spending, the CEC claimed the ommission had managed to save `20 crore.
According to Dr Quraishi, elections invariably lead to most of the corruption in the country. During elections, the candidates with money power spend five to ten crore rupees, which they admit in private. Once they win, these politicians then “recover” the expenses they incurred through immoral means.
Explaining the measures needed to improve election process, he said, “Six months before the elections, election officers shouldn’t be transferred, as politicians use this to plant their people. Also, government-sponsored advertisements should be banned at this time. Common electoral rolls are needed for all polls, and for this, the Constitution must be amended.”