New Delhi- With a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, India stands as the most populous country globally, encompassing approximately one-sixth of the world's population.
Surpassing China in population size, India has emerged as the world's most populous nation, according to UN estimates as of April 2023.
Beyond its sheer population magnitude, India holds another significant distinction as the largest democracy globally. Facilitating free and fair elections is pivotal to India's democratic process, highlighting the vital role of the Election Commission of India in upholding the integrity of the electoral system.
Recently, the announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha election has stirred significant attention, casting a critical eye on the entire voting process within the world's largest democracy.
Concerns have been raised regarding the appointment process of the recent Election Commissioners, especially given the utilization of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the upcoming elections.
On March 14th, two former bureaucrats with notable roles in BJP administrations were appointed as election commissioners, triggering scrutiny. Gyanesh Kumar, previously serving as Joint Secretary in the Kashmir Division of the Home Ministry during the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, later held the position of Additional Secretary. Notably, Kumar led a specialized unit within the Home Ministry responsible for overseeing matters related to the Supreme Court's verdict on the Ayodhya case, including the establishment of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Similarly, Sukhbir Sandhu, former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary under BJP Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and former Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India, now holds the position of Secretary to the Lokpal, with an extension of his tenure until January. Sandhu's tenure as Uttarakhand's chief secretary coincided with Pushkar Singh Dhami's tenure as Chief Minister in 2021, further raising questions about the impartiality and independence of the Election Commission.
Before the general election, the Election Commission of India faced two vacancies due to the retirement of Anup Pandey and the unexplained resignation of Arun Goel.
Under a new law, a search committee led by the Law Minister shortlists five candidates for each vacancy. The final selection is then made by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, a minister appointed by the PM (reportedly Home Minister Amit Shah), and the leader of the Opposition or the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
In this instance, the committee consisted of Narendra Modi (Prime Minister), Amit Shah (Home Minister), and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Lok Sabha Member from the Indian National Congress).
However, complaints arose from the Opposition regarding insufficient disclosure of candidates' credentials.
Chowdhury, who holds the position of Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, expressed his discontent by submitting a dissenting note to the selection committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the selection process, stating that he had not been provided with comprehensive information about the candidates or even the shortlist prior to the meeting.
Talking to media, the MP said, "I gave a dissent note because I was given 212 names at midnight. When I go to the meeting, I see six names. How is it possible for me to know about these people?"
Chowdhury highlighted the discrepancy between the extensive list of 212 names he received late at night and the mere six names presented to him during the meeting. This discrepancy left him unable to adequately assess the qualifications and suitability of the candidates.
Arriving in Delhi around midnight, Chowdhury was surprised by the volume of potential candidates listed. However, he expressed frustration that despite this extensive list, the final selection process seemed to lack adherence to established procedures.
The Mooknayak talked with individuals from diverse backgrounds to gauge their sentiments regarding the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, occurring amidst widespread distrust in the political establishment.
Dipshita, Dhar, CPIM candidate from Sreerampore Lok Sabha constituency, said, “We were very sceptical when in the parliament they came up with this idea that now the election commission is going to be appointed by the government itself.”
She commented that it showed the intent of how this government wants to basically jeopardize every institution that is there in the country.
“And you see they are doing it in a seven-phase of election, particularly in case of West Bengal. And the time from when the first person is going to cast their votes and when they are going to get to know whatever is the result of it or whatever the counting is going to happen. The distance between these two, it's so long, we do not know what is going to happen to the machines.”
“All these questions are already there tempering the EVMs. So if there's a long gap between the day of pulling and the day of counting, we believe that our all fear, all our anxiety around the EVMs are going to be dealt with in the right hand or not.”
Baadal, a student from Delhi University had an interesting opinion to add to the discourse. He said, “I think that election is never free and fair. Whether it was by congress or whether it was by any government or none of them were free and fair. But what we are seeing is that a little different in the BJP government is the intensification of fascism.”
This intensification signifies a widespread appeal towards fascist ideologies, where religion is manipulated to foster disillusionment and communal sentiments are exploited. Those voicing dissent against this trend, representing the majority, are met with appeasement tactics under the guise of religious sentiments, particularly concerning the construction of the temple.
He continued, “The issue of electoral bonds highlights the significant influence of corporate interests intertwined with politics, with both entities mutually benefiting each other. This symbiotic relationship between political parties and corporate entities is not a new phenomenon, but what distinguishes the BJP's approach is the intensified focus on nationalist rhetoric.”
Hannan Mollah, senior leader of All India Kisan Sabha and former member of parliament, said that everyone is doubtful whether free and fair elections will be conducted. He alleged that the previous election commissioner resigned under pressure as he had advocated for paper ballots.
Talking about the recently elected Election Commissioners, he remarked, “They are henchmen of the RSS. Otherwise, how do people who have tied with the political party get elected for one of the main events of the nation?”
The use of EVM for voting has always been contested in the nation, with many believing that EVM tampering is prevalent in electoral politics. A five-member committee called EVM Hatao Sanyukt Morcha consisting of Supreme Court advocates Mehmood Pracha and Bhanu Pratap, former leader Rajendra Pal Gautam, engineer DC Kapil and Hijem Rajendra Singha was formulated to conduct demonstrations.
The committee carried out multiple protests starting from the Patiala Family Court to provide memorandums to the chief Justice of India in regard to their objective. They continued for three months, starting in the month of January 2024.
Talking to The Mooknayak, a member of the EVM Hatao Sanyukt Morcha, DC Kapil explained the reasons for their protest. “"Firstly, we aimed to exert pressure on the Supreme Court to resist government influence, but unfortunately, it seems futile. Recently, the apex court dismissed all petitions against EVM Machines."
"Secondly, our goal was to prompt opposition parties to voice their concerns. Regrettably, none did, even after three months of protest. If those directly impacted by EVMs remain silent, our efforts alone won't suffice," Kapil lamented.
Regarding the appointment of Election Commissioners from the ruling party, Kapil raised doubts about the possibility of conducting free and fair elections, asserting, "If Election Commissioners are handpicked by the ruling party and EVMs are utilized, how can we ensure fair elections?"
While taking a dig at the BJP’s usage of the term ‘Vishwa Guru,’ senior leader Hannan Mollah said, “The whole world is rejecting the idea of EVMs and using paper ballots, but the supposed ‘Vishwa Guru’ knows better than everyone.”
In India, there are a total of 96.8 crore registered voters, with 49.72 crore being men and 47.1 crore being women. Among them, there are 1.82 crore first-time electors, out of which 85 lakh are women.
This year’s election marks the second-longest polling duration in India's electoral history, trailing only the initial general election held over a five-month period from September 1951 to February 1952.
The announcement was made by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by new Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S.S. Sandhu, including bypolls for 26 assembly constituencies in the schedule.
Single Poll Date: 22 states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand.
Two Poll Dates: 4 states, including Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tripura, Manipur.
Three Poll Dates: 2 states, including Chhattisgarh, Assam.
Four Poll Dates: 3 states, including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand.
Five Poll Dates: 2 states, including Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir.
Seven Poll Dates: 3 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
In total, there are 36 states participating in the elections.
The date of counting is set for June 4, 2024.
Additionally, polling for the Lok Sabha will take place on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh having voting across all seven phases.
Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will hold their assembly elections on April 19, while Andhra Pradesh is scheduled for May 13.
Odisha's assembly polls will be conducted in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
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