A GOLD STANDARD IN NEED OF ANSWERS

As India's electoral system stands on the verge of a landmark, it searches for ways to tackle freebies, inducements, black money, and vitriol

By the end of this month, India is set to have 990 million electors-people enrolled in the electoral roll -and on the cusp of reaching the "landmark" of 1 billion electors soon, according to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar. Speaking on Tuesday, Kumar pointed to the ever improving gender ratio of electoral rolls, and said there were 480 million women electors in the country today.

The 18 Lok Sabha and nearly 435 Assembly polls, including that of states no longer in existence, that the Election Commission has conducted since 1951-52 tell a story of an electoral system that has tried to be inclusionary. For example, the proportion of the total electors to the proportion of the total population has increased manifold, as has the gender ratio and turnout of women.

In the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the percentage turnout of women electors was better than men. In 2019, in as many as 23 of the 36 states and Union Territories (UTS), the turnout of women was better than men. In 2024, of the 28 major states and UTS, the turnout of women was better than men in 15. The 2024 LS polls witnessed the least number of re-polling.

Kumar, who retires next month, termed the records and seamless conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as "gold standard". But he also flagged the challenges Indian democracy faces, calling for finding "accepted and legal answers" for political parties announcing "freebies" during poll campaigns.

The CEC appeared to back the proposal to allow 'remote voting' to ensure that India's 300 million "missing voters" get the opportunity to exercise their ballot, given that the voter turnout was 65-67 per cent in the two Lok Sabha polls. He urged political parties to conduct less vituperative and aggressive campaigning because they turn the youth away from the electoral process.