The EC way

In its meticulous order ruling out elections in Gujarat in the present moment, the Election Commission laid out its guiding principles: that...

In its meticulous order ruling out elections in Gujarat in the present moment, the Election Commission laid out its guiding principles: that every vote is a valuable vote, that conditions must be conducive for the 8216;little voter8217; to vote, that the election schedule must be announced at the earliest possible time, and that all other interests must be subservient to democratic values. It is a tragedy of our times that the EC should court controversy by merely adhering to these unexceptionable principles. It is a sad comment on the governments, both in Gujarat and at the Centre, that they have aggressively pushed for early elections in a state that is still ravaged, still unable to provide the little voter her freedom to vote. And it is a testament of hope that Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh and his colleagues have performed their job independently, shrugging off the unrelenting pressures mounted on them to fall in line.

Called upon to assess Gujarat8217;s poll-readiness, the Election Commission proceeded with unimpeachable rigour. In the midst of the political clamour for and against early elections, raised by government and opposition, the EC went to the field with a checklist to carry out its own reality check. Following a visit to the state by a nine-member team, Lyngdoh and his two fellow election commissioners undertook the trip themselves. Their conclusions are as piercingly clear as they are unambiguously damning of the Modi government8217;s tall claims of restoring 8216;normalcy8217; in the state. They found that electoral rolls have been rendered substantially defective due to large-scale displacement of people in riot affected areas, that these areas spill way beyond the few pockets identified by the government to be affected by the violence, and that the people of Gujarat and especially its minorities are still gripped by fear and distrust of the administration. For all his guile, Narendra Modi will not be able to find any chink in the EC8217;s order that he can manoeuvre into an escape hatch for his government. The indictment is extensively supported by facts, it is as clear as day.

Over the years, the term 8216;free and fair8217; has lost much of its absoluteness, it has been pummelled and twisted more than a little out of shape. It is a convenient slogan now, a hollowed out piety then, invoked to serve vested interests. In refusing to dilute or qualify it, and in single-mindedly upholding its priority, Lyngdoh and his men have restored some of its pristineness. The BJP would do well to give up its quibbling over Article 174 and respect the EC8217;s decision. The Modi government must immediately address itself to restoring normalcy in the state 8212; this time for real.