SHILLONG: The chairman of Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya, John Kharshiing said there is an urgent need to initiate electoral reforms to bring in transparent electoral process in the country as large as India.
There are numerous questionable anomalies in the present electoral process in the conduct of Council, Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, he said.
Kharshiing said during a regional conference presided over by the then Union Law Minister in the presence of chief ministers, ministers, political parties from North East, he had presented some suggestions which include reducing the 5year term to 4 year term of all elected posts.
He also said there should be a two-term limit for all elected posts as Mayor, MLC, MDC, MLA, MP, CM or PM so as to allow space and to infuse dynamism and innovation into governance.
He said MDC, MLA and MP schemes should be abolished as it is unconstitutional since elected officials meant to oversee, scrutinise government spending and accounts themselves dole out contracts and in a number of cases they become contractors and have vested interest in such contracts.
He also suggested varied measures to reduce expenditure during polls.
“ We do hope that the next government at the Centre will seriously and swiftly bring in the much awaited electoral reforms to enable the citizens to truly believe it is participating in a functioning democracy”, he added.
