Opaque poll funding undermines democracy

It is often said that money and muscle power determine the fate of candidates at the hustings. While exercising brawn in public can backfire in the age of 24x7 media, the financial backing that individuals and corporates extend to political outfits can evade inspection.

Though the current political establishment has done a lot to bring about transparency in the funding process of political parties, a couple of grey areas remain, which the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) wants the government to look into. It is in this context and spirit that the Election Commission’s (EC’s) recommendations should be considered. The CEC’s desire to make all kinds of funding, regardless of the amount, open to public scrutiny is in line with its objective to ensure a level playing field.

Such a move, in all likelihood, will curb financial malpractices. The EC wants to uphold the guiding principles of democracy by ensuring that elections do not turn into a show of financial clout. However, there is another vital issue that also merits careful consideration. The CEC has argued for vesting the Commission with powers to issue contempt notices to candidates/parties that question its integrity.

The EC cannot consider itself above criticism sine it operates within the framework of democracy. For that matter the judiciary, too, should give up this privilege. At the same time, political parties should also bridle their tongues since their wild, baseless allegations tend to undermine the credibility of the EC. A model code of conduct benefits all stakeholders.