What is price of your Vote ?

 What is price of your Vote ?

 

 

 

For past few months, the question that political parties seem to asking the voters, is ;

 

What is price of your vote ?

 

Ø  Free smartphone / laptop / cycle / scooter / ration / gas cylinder / education ?

Ø  Jobs / scholarships / monthly cash for girls / mangal-sutra / flat ?

You name it – and we promise ( * conditions apply )

 

 

But the Supreme Court is saying :

 

Promise of freebies in polls a 'serious issue', asserts SC  /  Deccan Chronicle  /  25 Jan 2022

Extract :

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a plea seeking to curb the political parties from promising freebies in their election manifestos, thereby putting under further strain the exchequer of already debt-ridden state finances.

 

Describing the issue as “serious”, Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, heading a bench also comprising Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice Hima Kohli, expressed his doubts  on how to go about the practice of all the political parties promising freebies to the electorate on the eve of state Assembly elections.

The court gave both the Centre and the Election Commission four weeks’ time to reply.

“Tell us how we can manage it. We must also know how we are going to control it,” CJI Ramana told senior lawyer Vikas Singh who had appeared for PIL petitioner and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

 

Singh referred to an Election Symbol order and told the court that if a political party does not desist from promising freebies, then Election Commission can use this in the next election to freeze the symbol and deregister it.

 

Senior lawyer told the court that the Election Commission did issue guidelines to curb freebies but they are toothless and can’t be enforced.

 

The court also asked Singh to read from an earlier judgment of the top court where the court had adversely commented on the announcement of freebies including cash transfers at the time of the elections and had described them as corrupt practices.

 

At the outset of the hearing as Vikas Singh told the court that all political parties were announcing freebies, CJI Ramana asked him, “If all parties are doing it, why did you name just two parties only” in your petition.

 

MY TAKE :

Congressmen are Confused ! ………………………………[ 31 Dec 2013 ]

 

Bribing The Voters ………………………………………………[ 28 April 2014 ]

 

Extract :

 

Even the almighty Supreme Court seemed helpless, when it held recently :

 

 

"  Although promises of distribution of freebies may not technically constitute  corrupt practice , under the Representation of People Act , they vitiate the electoral process by influencing voters and disturbing the level playing between contesting parties "

 

 

And since there is no difference of opinion between the political parties when it comes to exploiting the poverty of 400 million BPL ( Below the Poverty Line ) voters , I would not be surprised if the next government at the Centre , introduces a  ,

 

 "  Bribe ( given ) Politically ( is ) Legal ( BPL ) Bill "

 

 

 in the very first session of 16th Lok Sabha  !

 

 

Expect it to be passed unanimously - and without a debate  !

Political parties are firm believer of what Kaushik Basu ( onetime advisor to PM ) once said ( - although in a different context ) ,

 

 

"  Giving bribe must not be treated as crime

 

 

   Ordinary citizens are forced to give bribes when they are denied , service that is legitimately due to them

 

 

If they are held innocent , they will come forward and report all instances when they were forced to bribe bureaucrats

 

 

Only bribe-takers must be punished  "

 

One Up on Free Wi - Fi ? …………………………………[ 11 Feb 2015 ]

 

Advantage , Incumbent ?........................... …[ 05 Sept 2016 ]

 

Extract :

 

On 22 Feb 2014 , following Supreme Court directives , the Election Commission , revised , " Model Code of Conduct " , containing guidelines on what kind of poll promises , political parties can incorporate in their poll manifestos

 

 

GUIDELINES

 

 

*   Parties shall make only those promises which are possible to be fulfilled

 

 

*   It is expected that manifestos also reflect the rationale for the promises

     and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirements for it

 

 

 

*   Party in power shall stop advertizing for publicity of achievements

 

 

Now, no one expects our Parliament to :

 

Ø  Incorporate EC’s “ Guidelines “ in a statute ( law ) which carries stiff punishment for political parties which violate such a law ( no political party will support such a bill )

 

Ø  Enact a law ( or an amendment to any existing law ), which gives Election Commission the POWER to disqualify ( temporarily or permanently ) any political party which violates above mentioned GUIDELINES ( - with , of course, a provision for aggrieved party to challenge in Supreme Court )

 

 

Ø  Pass a law which makes all promises ( Political Bribes to Voters ), legal !

 

Given this scenario, if MEDIA were to conduct a survey of the voters which asks :

 

Ø  Would you support conducting General Elections ( for LokSabha ), every 3 years ? .. YES / NO

 

Ø  Ditto for State Elections ?...YES / NO

 

-      Then I believe 80 % of ALL voters would respond with a resounding… YES  !  

 

Hey, I can get a new laptop, every 3 years !

 

 

With regards,

 

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 27 Jan 2022

 

Related Readings :

“ Election Reforms " Summarized………………………… [ 18 Aug 2017 ]

 

Model Code of ( Hypocrite ) Conduct ?................. [ 07 Jan 2017 ]