Focus on money power in polls

NEW DELHI — India’s new Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath yesterday said his priority would be to push for electoral reforms and check criminalisation of politics and money power in elections.

Taking charge as the 18th chief of the poll panel, Sampath also said he did not favour giving statutory status to the model code of conduct.

“The reforms’ proposals are at last-mile stage... We do hope that this will be carried forward. Whatever is in the realm of the commission, we will certainly do to expedite the implementation of electoral reforms,” Sampath told reporters after taking charge from S Y Quraishi, who retired yesterday.

He said the commission would work for the early implementation of electoral reforms which are key for putting an end to criminalisation of politics and undue in uence of money power in electoral arena.

On giving statutory authority to the model code of conduct, Sampath said the present system is working “satisfactorily. Our view is, the present system is working satisfactorily, very well,” he said.

News reports recently suggested that the government wanted to give the model code of conduct statutory backing so that complaints relating to its violations could be tried in a court of law, rather than being left to the discretion of the poll panel.

Law Minister Salman Khurshid had also said the government would consult political parties whether they wanted to take the model code of conduct out of the commission’s purview.

At this, then chief election commissioner Quraishi had lashed out at Khurshid, saying it was an attempt to curb the commission’s power.

Sampath said: “The view of the commission has always been that model code is an effective instrument in the hands of Election Commission in election management.”