Meeting on Electoral Process and Democracy

A public meeting on Electoral Process and Democracy was organised today by Lok Raj Sangathan at the Constitution Club, New Delhi. The event drew an overwhelming response, with the Deputy Chairman Hall filled to capacity and a particularly high participation of youth.

Well-known activists and experts on electoral reforms, including Shri Ashok Kumar Sharma (Retd. IFS) and Smt. Anjali Bharadwaj, co-convenor of the National Campaign for the Right to Information, were among the distinguished speakers.

The meeting began with a warm welcome by Sucharita, who introduced the theme.

In his presidential address, S. Raghavan, President of Lok Raj Sangathan, emphasised that the right to vote and the integrity of elections are fundamental to democracy, yet both are under severe strain today. He highlighted multiple concerns: mass exclusions from voter rolls in Bihar, the dangers of delimitation skewing representation in favour of a few states, the declining credibility of the Election Commission, distrust in EVMs, and the continuing dominance of money and criminal power. He stressed that these are not isolated issues but interconnected symptoms of a deeper crisis in the political process. Using the analogy of Allopathy, he said piecemeal solutions that address only symptoms will not work; the root cause is a party-centred system that sidelines the people. He called for a new political process in which sovereignty truly rests with the people, who must have the right to select and elect candidates, the right to recall, and the right to initiate legislation. He further advocated accountability of representatives to the electorate rather than to political parties, and the elimination of money power through state funding of elections. He emphasised the need to make people conscious of the rot that has set in the current electoral and political process.

Ashok Kumar Sharma highlighted that elections have increasingly become a business for political parties, while the people—the true stakeholders—have been marginalised. He pointed to institutionalised interference in elections and cited the example of Bihar, where genuine voters were removed and fraudulent voters added. He criticised the unreliability of EVMs, noting that many countries do not use them, and stressed that money and media power are decisive in today’s elections.

Adv. Shahid Ali drew attention to the Anoop Baranwal vs Union of India Supreme Court ruling on the appointment of Election Commissioners. He condemned the erosion of secular principles and the division of people on religious lines.

Birju Nayak (CGPI) observed that workers and kisans are sidelined in the current process, while big capitalists dominate. He demanded state funding of elections, people’s right to select and elect candidates, the right to recall, accountability of representatives, and referendums to determine the people’s will.

Dr. Venkatesh (CJAR) noted that similar problems afflict the judiciary, with media power concentrated in the hands of a few.

Dr. Ravinder (Lok Paksh) cited frauds in EVM functioning, referring to the Bhind case in Madhya Pradesh.

Anjali Bharadwaj stressed that the Election Commission should function like an impartial referee, independent of the executive. She highlighted the lack of transparency in vote counting, demanded public access to Form 17C, and called for machine-readable voter lists. She cautioned that without public faith in elections, democracy cannot thrive.

Dr. Kapil Kakar pointed out that the EC has failed to correct its mistakes, while manipulation of EVMs remains a serious risk. He condemned the division of people on caste and religious lines, and welcomed proposals like the right to recall and referendums.

The proceedings concluded with remarks by Sucharita, who reaffirmed the demand for a new political process based on people’s sovereignty. She underlined the need for the right to select and elect candidates, right to recall, right to initiate legislation, and accountability and transparency in the entire system.

The meeting reflected the strong sentiment among participants that piecemeal solutions will not work. All the concerns raised—voter roll exclusions, delimitation, independence of the Election Commission, EVM transparency, money power, and lack of accountability—are interconnected symptoms of a deeper problem. A holistic transformation of the political process is needed to ensure that sovereignty truly rests with the people.