A day after the Supreme Court struck down the funding of political parties through electoral bonds as unconstitutional, the nation’s largest opposition party claimed the income tax department had frozen its bank accounts.
The development was brought to light by Congress treasurer Ajay Maken, who said the IT department’s decision will prevent the party from participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, as it has no access to funds to pay salaries or to finance the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and other political activities.
Though the Congress got relief from the IT Appellate Tribunal, which has allowed the party to operate its accounts until the final decision in the case, the severity of the department’s order has raised the opposition’s hackles. The IT department’s decision tilts the electoral playing field, an issue the Supreme Court tried to tackle while scrapping electoral bonds.
Opposition parties have also raised the issue of lack of coverage by both public and private media, which has a similar effect on the electoral playing field. If they are denied access to funds too, the field gets decisively tilted against them and the sanctity of the electoral process gets compromised.
It is, therefore, important to ensure parties’ access to funds so that they can publicise their programmes and conduct campaigns without any hindrance. At stake is the citizenry’s ability to exercise their franchise in an informed manner. Democracy suffers in the absence of an informed electorate. Ensuring a level playing field where neither side has an undue advantage creates a virtuous cycle, leading to a truly representative government.
The responsibility for ensuring equal access to resources and voters lies with the Election Commission as much as it does with the government of the day. Twenty-three opposition parties have sought an audience with the commission to present their case for tallying all voter-verifiable paper audit trail slips or VVPATs.
The commission is yet to give them an audience. If concerns are being expressed by so many opposition parties regarding the electoral process, the commission is duty-bound to address them. The Election Commission must listen to the issues being raised in order to remove any doubts about the sanctity of the electoral process.
