VIJAYAWADA: YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that democracy can stand only when people have complete confidence in constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission.
He said that the media reports that two Election Commissioners raised objections on several occasions to decisions, electoral rolls and the management of ECINet have led to serious questions and doubts among the public.
“Rather than an exchange of allegations, the public needs clarity on what objections were recorded, what action was taken on them, and how transparently the system functioned, be it for adding, deleting or restoring names on electoral rolls. Steps are needed to give people confidence on these matters. Ultimately, we must strengthen public trust in the electoral process, protect every citizen’s right to vote, and strengthen the systems that allow people to exercise that right without fear,” Jagan posted on ‘X’ on Friday.
He further mentioned that in a democracy, transparency should not only prevail but should also appear to have prevailed. The bill (Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 ) which had our support then, should be revisited now in the current background.
The Central government (Ruling Party) should come forward, set the normal in place dispelling this fear. An amendment to the bill be brought forward where the election commissioner is appointed by the three member committee which has Leader of Opposition (LoP), Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the Prime Minister as members once again.
Students appointing the examiner is always prone to allegations even though the examiner is thoroughly honest and it is always better replacing the process with someone neutral. This move would definitely regain the esteem and the confidence in the Election Commission, added Jagan.