Abuse of money power in polls is a concern, says former SC judge
Justice Jasti Chelameswar, former Supreme Court judge, has said that the manner in which people are exercising their right to vote and their apathy to it in the context of the growing abuse of money power in elections are a matter of serious concern.
“While the Election Commission of India (ECI) strives to conduct free and fair elections, the electorate should contribute to that goal by thwarting the attempts to vitiate the democratic process,” Justice Chelameswar said while delivering the keynote address at a roundtable on ‘Democracy The significance of Right to Vote’ organised by the Citizens for Democracy (CfD) here on Wednesday.
“Vote is a weapon in their hands, but it has to be used without fail and in the desired way to ensure that democracy exhorted.
The issues at stake now were spending of huge sums by the candidates during elections (an MP candidate spending up to ₹50 crore, which was the case a decade ago) and recovering it postvictory to be in the race again five years later, and the indifference to the need to stem the rot by properly exercising the right to vote, he said.
Political rhetoric would thrives,” he always be there, but it was up to the people to send the deserving candidates to the Parliament and Legislative Assemblies so that democracy and its institutions could be protected and the future generations live in dignity.
CfD president and former High Court judge G. Bhavani Prasad, former State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, joint secretary V. Lakshmana Reddy were present.