Editorial: Caesar's wife must be above suspicion

That the Election Commission of India chose to address the nation through a news conference is laudable, but in the end, what purpose it served is difficult to tell. The ECI claimed that Bihar’s seven crore voters stand with the poll body and therefore its credibility cannot be questioned. Usually, it’s political parties that perceive people’s mandate as a legitimacy to put themselves and their actions above scrutiny and criticism.

More than the questions the ECI answered, several important questions went unanswered, especially those relating to serious allegations regarding electoral rolls in Bihar and Karnataka. Dismissing the claims of the Opposition and trying to label them as an insult to the Constitution strikes a discordant note.

Opposition leaders and political analysts have pointed out several important questions that should have been answered to clear the air. It would appear that the commission came to tell what it wanted to tell, and it precisely did that. Despite several legal experts and even former EC officials pointing out that the commission cannot demand an affidavit under oath as has been asked of the leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha in the present circumstances, the commission went on to issue an ultimatum – either file an affidavit in seven days or apologise to the nation. The obvious question being asked is why a similar demand is not being made to a BJP leader who also made similar claims. And then the commission avers that it does not make any distinction between political parties.

In a highly politically charged atmosphere where the Opposition parties have been claiming for some time now that there was no level playing field and that even constitutional bodies are prejudiced against them and were acting at the behest of the ruling party, a constitutional body like the Election Commission is making matters worse by taking decisions that could be interpreted as being biased in favour of the ruling party. On top of it, the palpably hostile tone and tenor of the EC against the Opposition will not help its cause or that of the electoral democracy.

The ECI should be proactive in addressing the concerns of voters and the political parties that contest elections. When serious allegations are levelled, and that too after considerable research using the ECI data, the commission should not hide behind technicalities. That would only make everyone more suspicious.

If lies are being peddled by anyone, the ECI should nail them and prove them wrong with the data and other materials in its possession. That would make the people trust it more. The onus of preparing accurate and flawless electoral rolls is on the commission, and it cannot be passed on to political parties, which of course could be more vigilant.

At stake is not the integrity of individual officials but of the commission itself. Without answering the questions, without being transparent and being and appearing to be fair and unbiased, the officials will be causing harm to the institution and its credibility and reputation.

There are growing concerns about the integrity of the elections in India, with increasing sections of the populace expressing doubts, further amplified by the Opposition's ongoing campaign. The government also brought in changes that do not help the image of the commission. The ECI should conduct itself in a way that it shall be above suspicion, and it should not miss the present opportunity to prove its credibility, autonomy, and fairness.