4 ms·
> Sorry that's absolute bull. Apart from an exception or two ECs have been sycophantic puppets, ever ready to grovel. I strongly disagree with your assessment.
by viksit 10y ago
> Sorry that's absolute bull. Apart from an exception or two ECs have been sycophantic puppets, ever ready to grovel.
I strongly disagree with your assessment. The mechanics of what happens when polling starts as I remember it,
- The EC assumes complete control over all civil services, including transferring people in response to independent assessment and complaints.
- Courts in India can't interfere with the EC. The government is disallowed interference as well. The constitution guarantees this and has been upheld by judgments in the past years.
- The chief EC commissioner can only be removed by impeachment in Parliament. The other two election commissioners can only be done so by the CEC's recommendation.
- Senior officials from different states are election observers in other states - and they are liable to be suspended even if phone calls are recorded between them and a political appointee.
- All paramilitary and police forces come under the command of the EC. As a result, they are free of machinations from the home ministry which is usually responsible for their control.
- Candidates make multiple reports during the campaign process and the EC does strict accounting for all this. It bans liquor sales and drafts banks to report any overt cash transactions.
I don't know where you're getting your information from, when you were born, why you think the EC is sycophantic, or how that would even help - but the EC's role in the Indian elections is more like a safe maker trying to hoodwink the safe cracker - it will never be perfect, but given its many constitutionally guaranteed rights, it is agile enough to try and stay a few steps ahead of the curve. It is this very flexibility via which the ECI can even think about opening something like this up to a challenge.
- srean 10y ago> I don't know where you're getting your information from, Using eyes and ears and just being aware of my surroundings. Trivial counterpoint. Pickup a state, say West Bengal. Count the number of egregious incidents of violence and intimidation reported by competing political parties and the media, including live videos. What action has the EC taken and what has that changed. > - The EC assumes complete control over all civil services, including transferring people in response to independent assessment and complaints. ... and then does what ? You are being completely naïve in the open bedfellows relationship with IAS and politicians. There are exceptions, but rare.
- viksit 10y ago> Using eyes and ears and just being aware of my surroundings. Hmm, not quite the best sources of information then. Have you talked to anyone on the ground? Have you been an election observer or volunteered in any? Have you read the independent reviews of the EC? Talked in any detail to senior officers in any branch of the executive who may offer perspective? > Trivial counterpoint. Pickup a state, say West Bengal. Count the number of egregious incidents of violence and intimidation reported by competing political parties and the media, including live videos. What action has the EC taken and what has that changed. Hardly trivial. This is a law and order situation, and is dealt with appropriately. > ... and then does what ? You are being completely naïve in the open bedfellows relationship with IAS and politicians. There are exceptions, but rare. Naïveté is an easy thing to call upon in cases when information isn't easily accessible. Your statement, to me, makes it appear that not only could you have wrong or incomplete information shaped by public media - you're not willing to even consider that this may be the case!
- srean 10y ago> Hmm, not quite the best sources of information then. Well, when I am standing in a queue to vote, I trust my eyes and ears more than what some report says about things that happened while I was standing there. > This is a law and order situation, and is dealt with appropriately. All that law and order violations were a means to an end and the end is tampering with the mandate and that is exactly where the EC has to step in. If all they can do is pass the buck and let the tampered mandate be counted as real, well it is not serving its one and only purpose. I am being charitable here in assuming goodfaith on EC's behalf. > Have you talked to anyone on the ground? yes many > Have you been an election observer or volunteered in any? volunteered yes, but not formally as an election observer and not as a part of any political outfit. > Have you read the independent reviews of the EC? Talked in any detail to senior officers in any branch of the executive who may offer perspective? some of it runs in the family so I do have some insiders perspective plus volunteerism does give me opportunities to interact with IAS officers in the field. And public media especially TV is crap, newspapers are somewhat better. There are one or two decent ones that I treat with some respect, rest are tabloid'ish garbage. But to the larger point, no, my opinions have very little to do with what goes on the popular media.