Former CEC Quraishi demands electoral reforms

Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi called for a ban on opinion polls and several other necessary steps while delivering a lecture on the need for electoral reforms organised to mark the birth anniversary of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer on Sunday. The lecture was organised by Capital Foundation Society, a non-governmental, non-profit, and voluntary organisation. During the lecture, Quraishi emphasised the ban on door-to-door campaigning by candidates during the 48 hours before the beginning of polling to prevent the allurement of voters using cash and liquor.

The former CEC also suggested that counting of votes from the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and change in the appointment procedure of the Election Commission of the country.

While addressing the lecture, Quraishi also said that even though the Election Commission has the power to register a political party, it has none to deregister it. When the matter went to the Supreme Court, it said the electoral law will have to be amended for the purpose. The matter is pending with the government for nearly 20 years, he said, adding that such a power is required to take action against parties that do not submit their accounts in time and violate provisions of the model code time and again.

“There are certain bogus parties which have been established for money laundering and they too need to be deregistered,” Quraishi said during the lecture.

Quraishi was the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He was appointed on 30 July 2010. He was also conferred with Capital Foundation National Award for his distinguished Public Service as the Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Vinod Sethi, general secretary of Capital Foundation Society, told The Daily Guardian: “These electoral reforms are the actual need of the hour and Dr Quraishi made some wonderful suggestions in that regard. One of the things which has been a concern from all over is that criminals should not be allowed to contest elections.”

The Capital Foundation Society also awarded former Governor of Odisha, M.C. Bhandare, with the Capital Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for his distinctive contribution to public life. The Foundation also conferred Capital Foundation Justice J.S. Verma Award to Justice Madan B. Lokur in recognition of his distinctive contribution to Human Rights and Judicial Reforms.