State Election Commission: Unravelled
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556118790691 |
| Author | Anita Bhatnagar Jain |
| Published date | 01 September 2018 |
| Date | 01 September 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
64(3) 531–542
© 2018 IIPA
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0019556118790691
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ipa
State Election
Commission: Unravelled
Anita Bhatnagar Jain1
Abstract
India, the biggest democracy, is over 70 years old. Besides other regulatory
authorities, election commissions have played a pivotal role in its formation. State
election commissions (SECs) got the constitutional footing via the 73rd and 74th
Amendments in 1993. Articles 243K and 243ZA provided for the elections to
panchayats and municipalities, respectively. The panchayats comprise of district,
block and village levels, while the municipalities include three levels based on the
slab of urban population. The present study focuses on the SEC of Uttar Pradesh
on various variables, including service conditions of commissioner, organisational
structure, increasing responsibility, budget, use of technology and electronic
voting machines (EVMs), measures to ensure transparency and objectivity and
so on. The study surmises the challenge of evolving complexion of SECs in the
changing environment. However, the role of various political parties and citizens
and the sensitive issues of electoral reforms have to be simultaneously addressed
for ensuring real democracy.
Keywords
State Election Commission U.P., RLB, ULB, municipal councils, panchayats
Introduction
India, which enjoys the distinction of being the biggest democracy in the world,
along with some other regulatory authorities, the Election Commission of India
(ECI) found a place in the Constitution of India. The ECI enjoys the distinction
of an independent constitutional authority created under Article 324 of the
Constitution. It was formed on 25 January 1950, which is celebrated today as the
National Voters’ Day. This regulatory authority, responsible for free and fair
elections for the office of president, vice president and to Parliament and state
legislatures, has the pivotal role in healthy survival of democracy.
1 IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India.
Corresponding author:
Anita Bhatnagar Jain, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1/75, Vipul
Khand Gomtinagar, Lucknow 226010, Uttar Pradesh, India.
E-mail: anitabhatnagar.ias@gmail.com
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