ELECTORAL REFORMS: CONDUCT AND BETTER MANAGEMENT OF ELECTIONS

source: Law ministry

1.       Compulsory voting should be strictly complemented with “Negative Voting/‘None of the above’ option in the EVM or make voting as Fundamental Duty under article 51A.

2.       Common electoral roll.

3.       Increase security deposit before every election.

4.       Simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly.

5.       No person should be allowed to contest more than one seat.

6.       Minimum educational qualifications and age limit to contest elections.

7.       Election petition against defeated candidates also.

8.       Ban on exit polls, opinion poll, pre-poll.

9.       Ceiling of expenditure for election to council constituencies also.

10.   Door to Door canvas by groups should be banned before 48 hours of election.

11.   Minimum percentage of Votes to be prescribed to declare a winner.

12.   Independent candidates may be given an option to join a political party. If so required, choice should be exercised within 6 months.

13.   Incentive based approach to encourage citizen participation.

14.   Provision for recall of the elected representatives.

15.   There should be a provision for paper backup for the EVM’s in the form of physical print out of every vote for the voters as an acknowledgement that their vote has been recorded properly.

16.   Candidates wrongly disclosing the assets and liabilities should be barred from contesting elections for a period of five years.

17.   Elections should be conducted on the same day and not in phased manner.

18.   Voting rights to undertrial prisoners.

19.   Voting rights to be given to army personnel’s.

20.   Increase of disqualification period to 10 years for non-filing of election expenses in the stipulated time.