The Election Commission of India (EC) on Thursday has formed a core committee to identify shortcomings from recently held Assembly polls in states and to push for reforms — from strengthening legal framework to ensure compliance of Covid-19 protocols to regulating poll expenditure by political parties.
“ECI push for wide-ranging reforms. Sets up a Core Committee headed by Secretary-General to identify learning, experiences and shortcomings from recently poll gone states in furtherance for continuing electoral reforms process”, tweeted Sheyphali Sharan, official spokesperson of ECI.
The new committee will also look for any gaps in the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct or the regulatory regime leading to “avoidance/ non-compliance by the Candidates/ Political parties’ stakeholders”.
The Election Commission also tasked the committee with identifying measures to strengthen expenditure management, shortcomings in the framework to protect electoral machinery from possibility of reprisal after polls and reviewing matters related to electoral rolls.
“The Committee has also been asked to collate, analyse experiences, best practices across States/UT and suggest way forward and further reforms required,” the Election Commission said.
Chief election commissioner Sushil Chandrahad, in a recent interview to TOI, said that EC would discuss immunity for its field officers who performed election duties in a fair and neutral manner, from disciplinary action for up to a year. “Election-related officials often face the wrath of the new government in the post-election phase. The EC is concerned about this,” he had conceded when TOI asked him about the recent threats faced by Nandigram RO.
