Delhi HC seeks EC response on plea for internal party poll norms

The petition, filed this week by Delhi-based advocate C Rajashekaran, argued that internal elections of most parties "are often an eyewash for established political families" for them "to continue to retain power as the top leadership".

elections in india, election commission of india

The petitioner said he is aggrieved by the “demonstrably feudal and oligarchic nature of functioning” of most political parties in India and the lack of regulatory oversight on their internal elections.

THE DELHI High Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond to a petition seeking framing of norms for internal elections of political parties, and a direction to incorporate them into the parties’ constitutions.

The petition, filed this week by Delhi-based advocate C Rajashekaran, argued that internal elections of most parties “are often an eyewash for established political families” for them “to continue to retain power as the top leadership”.

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“The lack of internal democracy in political parties, as opposed to other private organisations/ institutions, has a significant bearing on the nation’s governance, as the lack of transparency and internal democracy in political parties are often reflected in similar non-democratic governance models…” the petition said. The division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued a notice to the ECI and listed the case for December 23.

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