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Here are some reports of malpractices in Indian elections. Ide... - Democratic Politics
Here are some reports of malpractices in Indian elections. Identify what the problem in each case is. What should be done to correct the situation?
a Following the announcement of elections, the minister promised to provide financial aid to reopen the closed sugar mill.
b Opposition parties alleged that their statements and campaign was not given due attention in Doordarshan and All India Radio.
c An inquiry by the Election Commission showed that electoral rolls of a state contain name of 20 lakh fake voters.
d The hoodlums of a political party were moving with guns, physically preventing supporters of other political parties to meet the voters and attacking meetings of other parties.
(a)
Problem: Violation of the Model Code of Conduct. A minister cannot announce new projects or financial aid once elections are declared, as it can unfairly influence voters.
Correction: The Election Commission (EC) should take action against the minister and order the cancellation of the announcement.
(b)
Problem:Misuse of government-controlled media (Doordarshan and AIR) by the ruling party. In a democracy, all parties must get fair and equal time on public media.
Correction: The EC should ensure that government media provides balanced coverage to both the ruling and opposition parties.
(c)
Problem:Rigging of electoral rolls. Having fake voters leads to "bogus voting," which destroys the fairness of the election.
Correction: The EC must immediately remove the fake names from the list and conduct a fresh verification of the electoral rolls.
(d)
Problem:Use of muscle power and intimidation. Using violence to stop voters or opposition meetings is a direct attack on the freedom of the electoral process.
Correction: The EC should deploy central security forces (CAPF) to provide protection, arrest the criminals, and disqualify the candidate or party involved in using violence.