HAVE INDIAN ELECTIONS BECOME A MARKETPLACE?
Anew debate is raging in the corridors of power in New Delhi. Should money power be allowed to play a determining role in shaping the outcome of the national elections? The Election Commission is considering the pros and cons of imposing a cap on the amount of money a political party can spend on campaigning. The BJP is against it, all other parties want it. It is quite obvious why. Right now, one party has the means, the others do not and the BJP thinks it is a classic case of sour grapes.
But the question is not about this election, or indeed, one party. It is a philosophical one. After all, times change, political parties are in and out of favour. What holds for the BJP today may once have been true for the Congress party, in terms of access to a lion’s share of election funds. Yet, it is the growing influence of money, before and after elections, that may have reached disturbing proportions, triggering this debate on whether it can shroud a truly democratic verdict.
The case is simple. A cap, of between ₹50 and 70 lakh, of election related expenditure per candidate, exists even today. It is another matter that almost every candidate under reports this number, making a mockery of the cap.
Demonetisation notwithstanding, cash rules the game of election spending, and political actors are past masters at hiding the trail of money in use. This is precisely why the Law Commission’s recommendation is to not bother with a cap. It will remain only on paper, and can never be implemented. This is true.
Yet, there must be a way to think of constraints, because the growing role of money is causing all kinds of skews and distortions in our electoral process. The first issue is about the extent of influence that can be brought to bear upon the electorate, through recourse to vast amounts of money. A disproportionately large publicity budget drowns out the voice of competing parties and also allows a party
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SEPTEMBER 5: The meeting between Indian and Nepalese officials concluded with a joint statement. "The very close cooperation between the two governments was of benefit to both countries and it should be further strengthened,” it said