Editor,
Money plays a major role in determining the shape and result of elections. Election expenses are mounting by the day and the common man finds it impossible to contest the election. Political Parties nominate those candidates who have or can raise money for the party. Rich people and companies who give funds to political parties influence the policies and decisions of the party. In some cases, political parties support criminals who can win elections. Democrats all over the world are worried about the increasing role of rich people and big companies in democratic politics.
The main curse in the democratic process the influence of money and muscle power in elections. Money power has played a decisive role in elections in the past and continues to do so with greater force today. The candidate spends lavishly in elections and in return shows their election expenses within the prescribed ceiling. Three- fourths of the expenditure is shown as having been incurred by political parties under section 77(1) of the Representation of the People’s Act 1951. In western democracies where the voters are well educated and have ample means of livelihood, the role of money is insignificant. But, in countries like India, where the majority of people live below the poverty line and are illiterate, money plays a vital role. The bulk of money that comes into the party coffers is ill-gotten and black money. The evil influence of money power has brought public ridicule and has eroded public faith in the system.
In the context of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, it is common knowledge today that a large sum of money is spent to buy votes during elections in most constituencies. Certain affluent and powerful politicians and political families through their sheer money power have succeeded in winning in constituency after constituency through the ‘efficient’ use of money power. The question that may arise in the mind of the reader is- How does the use of money power during an election become ‘EFFICIENT’?
It is reasonable to assume that as part of the Election Commission’s Standard Operating Procedure, there is an Election Petitions (EPs) period i.e. 45-days from the date of declaration of results during which details of the Register of voters (Form 17A), the results in the Control Unit of the EVM and the slips in the VVPAT machine are kept under the custody of District Election Officer. Unfortunately, the safety and security of this voting data is a very important question because of the scaling down of the standard protocol of security of these voting data after counting.
So post the election results, if through some compliant local officials, some extremely influential and powerful politicians (after winning) were to have access (as they themselves reportedly claim to do) to the Serial Number on Register of Voter (Form 17A), the result in the Control Unit (which is used during the day of Counting) of the EVMs and Serial Numbers on the VVPAT Slips, then these powerful, rich, influential politicians (who would then be in power) would know the complete details of which individual voter has voted for which candidates.
This information in turn leads to the ‘efficient’ use of money power during the election in Meghalaya. There are incidents where during the post-counting days, certain powerful politicians and their minions taunt voters who had taken a cash-for-vote from them (before elections) but did not actually vote for them. Accepting money from candidates during elections cannot be justified in any way whatsoever. It is a legal offense and perhaps this is why these cases remain unreported.
Thus in spite of all the efforts of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reduce the impact of money during elections, this single gap of the powerful politician gaining access to this information post-counting would negate much of the efforts of ECI. The Election Commission of India is one of the most awe-inspiring electoral regulatory bodies in the world and the most widely celebrated and trusted public institution in India.
This practice, which has been done only by the privileged few amongst the political class, naturally violates the principle of the secrecy of the ballot, and in turn, allows them to keep winning elections in spite of turning Meghalaya into a den of corruption. Furthermore, even though India is yet to have a Data Privacy Act, access to this data would violate the Principle of Natural Justice with regards to the Data Privacy of individual voters.
The implications of this gap in the electoral system are tremendous and far-reaching. Some powerful politicians are known to have in their possession the Database of the entire voting history of each and every individual voter in their constituency since the 2008 Legislative Assembly Elections. This means that the politician would know for each and every single voter: the voting choice made in 2008, 2013, and 2018 Legislative Assembly Elections, the voting choice made in 2009, 2014, and 2019 District Council Elections, and the voting choice made in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.
The presence of such a comprehensive database in the hand of entrenched politicians who are also at present candidates in the 2023 Legislative Assembly Elections give them a huge undue advantage vis-a-vis the genuine, well-meaning candidates and thereby denies fresh candidates a level playing field during the future elections. With these databases, powerful politicians are able to predict even the voting behaviour of first-time voters, by analysing the voting behaviour of their parents. Hence the lack of a level playing field caused by this LACK OF DUE DILIGENCE is nothing short of catastrophic for the state of our democracy. It is heard that some of these powerful politicians (who have been winning elections continuously) shaped their entire political strategies based on this data.
Obviously, there are some who will brush it all off, but many people in the know quietly say that this has been happening for some time now. We fervently appeal to the Election Commission to ensure that even AFTER Counting day, there is restricted access even by the district and sub-divisional officials (and that too only under live CCTV footage to be broadcast on social media channels) to rooms where the Control Units and the VVPAT Slips are kept, until the day all this voting data is to be deleted and destroyed.
This we ask for the sake of our democracy. We don’t want Meghalaya to gallop even faster towards becoming an economic mess of the likes that we see happening in kleptocracies like Sri Lanka.
Yours etc.,
Marbianglang Rymbai,
Via email
Let’s vote judiciously
Editor,
As we walk to the polling stations today (27 Feb, 2023), to cast our votes it is crucial that we make a judicious choice or else we’re in for yet another five years of jeopardy.
Like in the past, this time again, candidates both seasoned and new are anxiously awaiting their fate while they have tried hard to reach out to us, the people of their constituencies having carried a bag full of promises they claim they will fulfil if they win. History records that winning has more than often resulted in a lack of will to fulfil those very promises they made during their election campaigns. We witnessed how candidates who have never made their visits to constituencies in the last five years have not only held meetings there but even visited our homes.
Sadly, a five-year term is not seen as service to the people but a means to make the most of what they can lay their hands on. Once in power, our representatives represent us less but their individualistic goals more. The blatant truth is that we are still so far from progress and development in our state. Be it roads and communication, health and sanitation, electricity, education, employment, there is nothing in any of these sectors that we can be proud of.
Hence when we cast our votes we must choose one that is closest to deliver and do his/her best to serve the state and it’s people. We must look for a statesman rather than a politician for as Georges Pompidou, the late President of France said: “A statesmen is a politician who places himself at the service of the nation. A politician is a statesman who places the nation at his service.” Ironically, we’ve had few or even none that were statesmen. Hence, choose wisely for whoever we may choose will either lead us to progress and development or leave us where we were fifty years ago.
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email