The Election Commission is engaged in shadow boxing – without addressing the real issues of electoral malpractices that it allegedly failed to check or handle appropriately. When serious issues have been raised by the opposition, CEC Gyanesh Kumar is seeking to protect himself by raising a red flag, shamelessly seeking cover under “women and mothers.” To a call from the opposition to release CCTV footage from polling booths where alleged frauds were committed in the course of the elections, his poser is, “Should we share video of mothers and sisters voting?” His argument is unwarranted and condemnable. A voter is a voter, be it a woman, mother or father. They have no right to privacy at a polling booth other than the privacy while casting their vote. No CCTV network at a polling booth is allowed to record this. Hence, the issue of privacy does not arise to these footage. What the opposition sought to know by its call for release of the CCTV footage limits itself to ascertaining if acts like impersonation took place – whether the same persons lined up to vote again and again—and matters like that. No privacy is involved. Nothing should prevent EC from releasing the video.
Gyanesh Kumar is barking up the wrong tree when he argues that allegations against the EC were an “insult” to the Constitution. The boot, rather, is on the other foot. The blame is on the EC for having brought disrepute to the Constitution, which gave it an independent status. That freedom is to be protected and preserved only as long as the EC conducts itself in a fair manner. It is Kumar’s argument that the EC has fearlessly stood by the voters and would stand by them like a rock. That was so in the past, but the fairness of the EC is hugely suspect now. Kumar’s argument is also that there was delay on the part of the opposition to raise issues. Delay is not an issue. A wrong can be questioned at any late hour. There are suspicions that the EC aided and abetted the powers-that-be to subvert people’s will in elections. EC cannot afford to lose its credibility.
What the Opposition has raised are not small matters. The dignity of democracy rests in the commitment of a nation and its institutions to hold elections in a fair manner. Gyanesh Kumar’s arguments and postures speak ill of the position that he holds. He would seem to hold a brief for the errant. The Opposition has the right to raise issues. The duty of the EC is to investigate and ascertain whether anything went wrong with its systems. When issues are highlighted, the CEC, rather than being on the defensive, chooses instead to be on the offensive. The issues must be thrashed out and resolved. It is incumbent on the Modi government to help uphold the dignity and fairness of the Election Commission. The Opposition should pursue the issues it raised to their logical conclusion.
