Campaign Finance Reforms in India: Issues and Challenges
Campaign Finance Reforms in India: Issues and Challenges
Campaign Finance Reforms in India: Issues and Challenges
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
ORF Sem<strong>in</strong>ar Series<br />
achieved. All this would prevent that <strong>in</strong>dividual, the electability of that<br />
<strong>in</strong>dividual, the position<strong>in</strong>g of that <strong>in</strong>dividual.<br />
I am a part of it, I am see<strong>in</strong>g the disease all around me Yes. We will fail this<br />
country if the elite who are here <strong>and</strong> many more who I am talk<strong>in</strong>g to, if we do<br />
not start. I don't expect this change to happen <strong>in</strong> my lifetime, I am sure about it,<br />
because the regional political aspirations, <strong>in</strong>dividuals, all have come together to<br />
protect (the system). Today <strong>in</strong> the Punjab elections there was 80 per cent vot<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
but the average poll percentage <strong>in</strong> this country, if you take <strong>in</strong> last 50 years, has<br />
not crossed 50 per cent. Out of the 50 per cent, the person who gets elected gets<br />
30 per cent. So, a person who gets 1,75,000 votes out of a total of 10 lakh votes<br />
(<strong>in</strong> a Lok Sabha constituency, for <strong>in</strong>stance) is the elected representative while<br />
those of the 7.5 lakh people who have not voted have no role to play. In urban<br />
constituencies, the literate people, people who can participate <strong>in</strong> elections,<br />
amidst us, they don't vote. Why don't they vote? In rural areas, those people who<br />
are not so privileged, they vote because of the aspirations, because "this man<br />
(the c<strong>and</strong>idate) is my lifel<strong>in</strong>e. He is go<strong>in</strong>g to decide my future, he is go<strong>in</strong>g to get<br />
me a job, he is go<strong>in</strong>g to get me money".<br />
In Goa, you can check out, on the day of the election the newspaper vendor has<br />
` 2000 <strong>in</strong> currency notes rolled which he throws <strong>in</strong>to houses. Even as we are<br />
talk<strong>in</strong>g about it, we are <strong>in</strong>dulg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> it. We need a debate. A political party that<br />
does not have the pressure to have such people elected will def<strong>in</strong>itely subscribe<br />
to all what you are say<strong>in</strong>g. They will put the changes <strong>in</strong>to the system.<br />
We are all talk<strong>in</strong>g about transparency. But the end product which you are<br />
dem<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g is so complicated <strong>and</strong> is so litigated. The basic assumption of an<br />
<strong>in</strong>dividual is so low that we cannot make it, because my electability, my<br />
'w<strong>in</strong>nability' would be completely lost when I put all those formulae that you are<br />
suggest<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>to practice.<br />
36<br />
www.orfonl<strong>in</strong>e.org
Change language