The EC’s fall from grace

The Election Commission EC is like a referee in any game and is expected to be neutral and ensure free and fair play Today in one of the worldrsquos largest democracies the credibility of even trusted institutions like the EC is under the scannerAfter Rahul Gandhi made ldquovote chorirdquo allegations the chorus has been getting louder It is not just Delhirsquos Opposition crying foul in Maharashtra too voices have grown stridentThe Opposition parties in Maharashtra have levelled serious allegations about irregularities in the votersrsquo list The charges include names missing duplicate entries and sudden deletionAllegations against the poll body are not new For ages in almost every election there have been some complaints about the votersrsquo listHowever this time the tone is sharper and the claims are serious and more direct Opposition leaders allege that outsiders control the ECrsquos website raising serious concerns about data integrity and wondering whether the tampering addition or deletion of voters is done without any verification allegedly to suit a political partyWhether these charges are true or exaggerated one thing is clear the image of an independent institution like the EC has gone for a tossChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has countered that the Opposition is merely spreading a narrative because it lacks confidence about winning pollsThe Opposition attack is sharp and is now questioning why ruling party leaders and spokespersons are speaking on behalf of EC officials Leaders are demanding that the commission directly respond to peoplersquos concerns instead of political partiesFadnavis should know this well During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections the Opposition ran a focused campaign built around one theme that the BJPled government and its allies were trying to change the ConstitutionWhether that charge was true or not the narrative struck a chord with voters The results were clear instead of achieving its ambitious target of ldquoAbki Baar 400 Paarrdquo the BJPrsquos numbers in the general elections dropped sharplyThe history of what narrative can do should serve as a reminder to political parties and especially to the EC which should not ignore this realityFormer Election Commissioners like TN Seshan and JM Lyngdoh took firm decisions and regularly interacted with the media prominent citizens and NGOs to address the allegations This approach gave the institution a reputation as independent assertive and fearless which many feel is missing with the current ECThe commission cannot afford to remain silent The Opposition claims are beginning to take root in the public mind creating the impression that something is indeed wrongThe pollconducting body has to act fast before doubt takes firm hold and becomes difficult to undoWhether an accusation has any merit or charges are baseless and coming through misinformation the election office needs to respond to each and every allegation with facts data and evidence Along with this the EC will need to issue clarification on how votersrsquo lists are prepared verified and updatedWith the credibility of the institution at stake it is time to revive its image and take a proactive approach instead of issuing oneline press notes refuting the allegations or remaining silentFor errors or manipulation in the votersrsquo list the poll body alone cannot be blamed Political parties are equally responsible To some extent voters too are accountable for this situation The EC can ensure fair play only when both players voters and political parties follow the rulesEven though most of the onus remains on the EC and political parties voters too need to stay alert to suspicious activities in their polling areaTake the example of the Booth Level Agent BLA system Every political party is allowed to appoint BLAs for each booth Their job is to inspect and verify the votersrsquo list identify fake or duplicate names and raise objections before polling day A BLA is not an EC official but their job is to help voters with tasks like adding deleting or correcting names in the listSo if discrepancies are from the Assembly elections held in 2024 one has to ask where these BLAs were then Did they fail to spot errors or did they observe the mess but not report it Why did they not raise the red flag in timeTake the example of Raj Thackerayrsquos Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS After the Assembly polls debacle the party has held numerous meetings for BLAs and has been talking loudly about it for months But has it actually begun the groundwork How many discrepancies or fake names has it reported from the votersrsquo list of Mumbai Or is it just holding meetings issuing statements while the votersrsquo list remains riddled with errors and the situation on the ground remains unchangedIf thatrsquos the case then despite Raj Thackerayrsquos repeated instructions party leaders and workers may be either inflating reports on paper or not taking their assignments seriously In both cases it reflects badly on Raj and his party and exhibits how the problem runs deeper than just the ECAt the end it is a collective failure of accountability Unless that message turns into real action all talk and charges levelled about ldquovote chorirdquo will remain just an issue without any action and solutionIf the situation remains unchanged soon voters and citizens will start doubting the referee the EC and political parties making even the cleanest match look fixedSanjeev Shivadekar is political editor midday He tweets SanjeevShivadekSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper