‘Reform Impossible Without Independent EC’: Akhilesh Urges Expansion of Selection Panel
SP chief demands overhaul of Election Commission selection process in fiery speech.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission during Tuesday’s Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, declaring that meaningful changes to India’s electoral system are impossible unless the poll body is restored to complete impartiality.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister alleged that the current selection mechanism for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners has been compromised, rendering the institution vulnerable to executive influence. Supporting Congress MP Manish Tewari’s proposal, Yadav demanded immediate expansion of the selection committee beyond its present composition of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and a Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
Yadav proposed that the panel be broadened to include the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and the Chief Justice of India, arguing that only a more representative and judicially anchored body can guarantee the appointment of truly independent commissioners capable of conducting free and fair elections without fear or favour.
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In a sharp indictment, the SP supremo accused the Election Commission of turning a blind eye to large-scale voter suppression and deletions during recent bypolls in Rampur and Milkipur, where he claimed the ruling BJP deployed police to intimidate voters and prevent them from exercising their franchise, while the poll authority remained conspicuously silent despite repeated complaints from opposition leaders.
Calling for a return to paper ballots, Yadav pointed out that several advanced democracies, including Germany, continue to shun electronic voting machines due to persistent concerns over transparency and verifiability, asserting that India must prioritise voter confidence over technological convenience in the world’s largest democracy.
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