Election Reform

Email Sent on 22-Aug-2004 (Modified on 30-Aug-2011)
Dear President (Dr. Kalam)


Introduction
India is the largest democracy of the world. Quality of Indian democracy has gone down drastically. Reasons are many fold from corruption to dynastic rule to criminalisation of politics. Because of this, good competent people are not coming to politics with few exceptions. Time has come to make serious and far-reaching reform to our election process to pave the way for professionals who has vision and capability to run the country or states.

Objective
·         to stop dynastic rule
·         to stop criminalisation of the parliament
·         to avoid hung parliament.
·         to reduce influence of regional party at centre.

Let me explain what needs to be done to bring back our old glory.

Span of Political career
·         Overall political career should be limited to 35 years. By political career I mean elected member of parliament or assembly or panchayat/corporation or member of politburo/working committee at state level or at all India level.
·         Total number of years as MP, MLA and member of politburo/working committee should not be more than 25 years.
·         Total number of years in any position (MP, MLA, Panchyat/Corporation or member of politburo/working committee) should not be more than 15 years. However one can be member of politburo/working committee along with MP/MLA/member of panchyat/corporation. For example if a person is MLA for 15 years, he can be MP for 10 years, member of politburo/working committee for 15 years, member of panchyat/corporation for 10 years. Another example, a person is MLA for 10 years, then he becomes politburo/working committee member for 5 years, then he can only be MP for 10 years or MLA for another 5 years and member of panchyat/corporation for 15.
·         One needs 5 years of experience before one can be PM or CM. For example if someone is MLA for 5 years, he can be directly become PM or if one is MP for 5 years, he can directly become CM. In other word maximum number of years one cane be PM or CM is 15. If you are CM for 15 years, you can be PM for maximum of 5 years (you already spent 5 years as MP) and vice versa. If you are member of politburo/working committee for 15 years without being MP or MLA, you will have only 5 years to be MP or MLA and 5 years for CM or PM.
·         Counting of political years must start from 15-August-1947. This might cause many of our veteran politicians to retire with immediate effect. Such politicians may continue 5 more years to avoid any vacuum.
·         A person may be cardholder of any political party throughout his life.
·         There must be a retirement age for MP, MLA, and member of politburo/working committee, Panchyat/corporation. The retirement age should be 75 i.e. last nominations could be filed at the age of 70.

Recognition of Political Party
·         A political party will be recognised by its politburo or working committee at central and state level. At each level total number of members should be 30.
·         All cardholders of the party should be registered with election commission. This number may be 2-3 crore for all India party like Congress, BJP.
·         Every party must follow ‘one person one post’ norm.
·         After being MP or MLA or member of politburo/working committee a person can switch over from one party to another twice in his whole political career. However ordinary cardholder or Panchyat/corporation member can switch party 3 times.
·         Once joined a party one cannot leave that party in 5 years.
·         After being MP or MLA or member of politburo/working committee a person can form new party twice in his whole political career. However ordinary cardholder or Panchyat/corporation member can form new party 3 times.
·         There must be compulsory election for each political party every 5 years to elect members of politburo/working committee.
·         If 40% of the member of politburo/working committee, MP and MLA wants re-election within party, re-election must take place within 1 month.
·         A party cannot be split. If the confidence level drops among members of politburo/working committee, MP and MLA, either there will be re-election or dissidents leave the party.
·         Party president/general secretary has the right to suspend any party worker, MP, MLA, member of politburo/working committee, Panchyat/corporation member. However if he suspends more than 40% of MP, MLA or member of politburo/working committee, there must be re-election.
·         If a MP, MLA or panchyat/corporation member is suspended, he/she does not have to resign. But they lose their voting right in parliament and assembly.

Family Participation in Politics
·         Any family can join politics generation after generation with some restriction from next generation onwards. Every next generation will lose 5 years of political life until overall political career reduces to 10 years. For example second generation can be MP, MLA and member of politburo/working committee for 20 years (additional 10 yrs for panchyat/corporation), can hold any position for maximum of 10 years. Third generation can be MP, MLA and member of politburo/working committee for 15 years (additional 10 yrs for panchyat/corporation); can hold any position for maximum of 5 years. Fourth generation onwards can be MP, MLA and member of politburo/working committee for 10 years; can hold any position for maximum of 5 years (additional 10 yrs for panchyat/corporation). Fourth generation and onward cannot be PM or CM or ministers or president/general secretary of the party.
·         If any intermediate generation does not come to politics, subsequent generation will get a credit of 5 years in their political life. However if any generation does not complete full political career of 35 years, next generation will not get any credit.
·         Spouse, brothers, Sisters will be treated as next generation. They cannot be PM, CM, party president/general secretary or important ministers like Finance, Home, Defence and Railway.
·         Next generation (2nd and 3rd) cannot be PM, CM, party president/general secretary or important ministers like Finance, Home, Defence and Railway for more than 5 years.
·         Counting of generation will start from 15-August-1947.


Measure Performance of the Ministers
·         All ministers including PM and CM must be measured quantitatively with the help of 8-10 metrics every year. Each metrics will have safe limit, warning limit and disaster limit.
·         If anybody is within warning limit, he will get 1 more year to bring it within safe limit. If anybody is within disaster limit, he will get 6 months to bring it back within safe limit. Failure to bring back to safe limit will result resignation of the minister, CM or PM.

Public Image
·         Public image of most of the politicians is very low. Many of the politicians are charge sheeted. The court acquits some. People believe politicians are acquitted because of lack of evidence or lack of willingness on part of the government to pursue the case against politicians. Never before there are so much of criminals elected as MP or MLAs. Though the matter is highly subjective, we need to find a means to stop these people from coming to parliament or assembly. We can use lie detector to screen candidates at the time of filing nomination. All candidates should be asked 10-20 questions under lie detector. Failure to any one of the questions will automatically make them ineligible. All MP/MLA/member of politburo/working committee/member of panchyat/corporation should be put to lie detector every 2 years. Questions could be
·         Have you taken bribe?
·         Have you murdered anybody?
·         Have you raped anybody?
·         Have you passed any sensitive documents to foreign secret service agent without permission of government?
·         Are you involved in any kind of extortion activity?
·         Are you a member of underworld gang?
·         Are you involved in drug running?
·         Are you involved in any kind of terrorist activities?
·         Have indulged in false voting, booth jamming, rigging.
·         Each party/alliance must declare 3 names for PM and probable names of ministers, twice the size of the ministry, before election. Because voters have the right to know probable candidates for PM and ministers.

Bring Knowledgeable People in Politics
·         20% of MP, MLAs and ministers should be from IIT, IIM, ISI and other premiere institutes of India.

Election Expense
·         It is estimated that around Rs 2000-3000 crore is spent during general election by all parties. This figure should be cut down drastically.
·         Political parties cannot spend single rupees in campaign in election. All expenses will be borne by government.
·         Political parties cannot write on walls or paste posters.
·         Political parties cannot publish advertisements in newspaper or in TV or in any media.
·         Ministry cannot publish advertisements in newspaper or in TV or in any media. However it can publish booklet to be sold in newsstand and bookstores.
·         All meeting should be restricted to Sunday or Public holiday only. Duration of the meeting should not be more than 90 min. Venue of the meeting should be a playground or hall. No school/college or streets can be used for meeting.
·         No political party can ask for any donation from public or businessmen.
·         All door-to-door campaign/procession should be restricted on Sunday/holidays and evening from 6pm-10pm. No procession on busy road.
·         During election campaign main two parties or coalition in each state will get 6 hours and 12 hours of TV time in weekdays and weekend/Holidays respectively. Other parties will get 3 hours and 6 hours of TV time.
·         A candidate will be given 250 party workers for assembly and 750 for general election to assist him in his campaign.
·         Only candidates, members of politburo/working committee at state and centre will have the right to address public. Government will bear all expenses related to public address system, stage, chairs etc.
·         All public addresses must be audio recorded for screening for code of conduct.
·         Each candidate will be given a car for 5 hours on weekdays and 10 hours in weekend.
·         Members of politburo/working committee will be given a car for whole day.
·         Each all India party will be given two 4-seater planes.
·         Each party or alliance of parties, which has won 20% of seat on an average in last 2 elections in the state, will be given 1 to 3 helicopters depending on size of the state.
·         Ministers/film stars/celebrity can address public only in presence of the candidate or member of politburo/working committee.

Voting System
·         Though use of voting machine is a very big step in modernizing election process, still it failed to stop false voting, booth capture and other underhand means. It is imperative that we conduct free and fair election in India at any cost. Increasingly our politicians are encouraging unfair means to win election. Thus denying millions of Indians of real democracy. In order to prevent fraud there should be a biometric identification of voters instead of photo id. Voting machine will be enabled only when biometric identification of the voter matches with stored biometric identification in the machine.
·         We should encourage people to come forward to cast their votes. Target should be to increase the percentage of vote polled to 70%.  Government should pay Rs 50 to those coming to vote as incentive.

Education of Politician
·         Government should open one-year diploma course in Politics for members of political party in various universities. The course should cover among others fundamentals of economics, sociology, history of India and world, foreign policy, how various ministries work etc.
·         This diploma should be mandatory for all MP and MLAs in 10 years from now.

Regional Influence in National Politics
·         It is very sad to note that regional parties are taking over national parties. Today there is not a single party, which can be regarded as all India party. Congress lost its bases in many of the states and BJP is yet to establish its presence as a single party, which can form the government alone at centre. None of them can expect to get more than 200 seats in foreseeable future.  Regional parties are playing crucial role in making/breaking the government.  Obviously it is not very welcome situation. This trend got to be reversed. So. Only national party can contest in parliament election. The definition of national party could be as follows
·         Any party who secured at least 20% of assembly seats in last 20 years in minimum 10 states will be called as national party. For example if a political Party A wins 20% assembly seats in WB, AP, UP in 1985, in Maharshtra, TamilNadu in 1990, in Bihar, MP and Karnataka in 1995, party A will be considered as national party.
·         A party once got the status of national party can retain it for 20 years even if it does not fulfil criteria for national party.
·         Barring regional parties from parliament election will greatly reduce the chance of hung parliament. However regional party and independent candidates can contest in 20% seats.

Hung Parliament and Fall of Government
·         Election should be conducted once in 5 years. In the event of hung parliament MPs and MLAs will select one of the MPs as PM through voting. PM will pick up IAS officers as ministers. Otherwise President may call two main parties to run the government in turn for 2.5 years each. In hung parliament situation there will not be any ‘no confidence motion’.
·         If the majority government falls because of no confidence motion, it will be considered as hung parliament. PM and ministers will be chosen according to hung parliament procedure for the remaining period.
·         No confidence motion cannot be brought 6 months before election.

Hung Assembly and Fall of Government
·         Election should be conducted once in 5 years. In the event of hung assembly MLAs will select one of the MLAs as CM through voting. CM will pick up IAS officers as ministers. Otherwise Governor may call two main parties to run the government in turn for 2.5 years each. In hung assembly situation there will not be any ‘no confidence motion’.
·         If the majority government falls because of no confidence motion, it will be considered as hung assembly. CM and ministers will be chosen according to hung assembly procedure for the remaining period.
·         No confidence motion cannot be brought 6 month before election.

Horse Trading
·         In order to avoid horse trading when no single party gets absolute majority all alliance between parties/independent candidates must be announced before the election of assembly or parliament. After election if no alliance/single party gets absolute majority, it will be declared as hung parliament.

Eligibility of Prime Ministership
·         Any Indian passport holder who has not stayed in India for 20 years of his first 25 years or 25 years of his first 35 years or 30 years of his first 45 years is not eligible for prime ministership.

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