Govt to work with ECI for electoral reforms: Law minister

The reforms under consideration include a provision for asking political parties for details on how they intend to sponsor poll sops

The government is evaluating pending electoral reform proposals and will work with the Election Commission of India (ECI) for them, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday.

Kiren Rijiju was speaking at an event to mark the 13th National Voters' Day. (PTI)

“I am constantly in touch with the commission,” Rijiju said at an event to mark the 13th National Voters Day. He said the process of detailed consultations before introducing changes is where the strength of Indian democracy lies.

He referred to the passage of the electoral reforms amendment law in 2021 and added that ECI has facilitated the voter registration for over 10 million electors.

The reforms under consideration involved include a provision for asking political parties for details on how they intend to sponsor poll sops.

ECI has proposed a standardised disclosure proforma for the guidance of political parties and candidates and to ensure authentic information for the voters to assess the financial viability of election promises.

Opposition parties have pushed back against the proposal, saying it would provide an unfair advantage to the ruling dispensation.

Another reform in the pipeline relates to remote voting for migrant voters. Opposition parties have also opposed while Bharatiya Janata Party and Biju Janata Dal have supported this.

Rijiju added debate and deliberations were a part of the reform process. “Even if political parties disagree, they all respect the commission enough to follow the rules it lays down. No political party ever says that they will not follow them.”

He said the power and independence of ECI are unparalleled globally. “Our government and parliament know the requirement of the commission and we will always positively cooperate to bring necessary changes as per the requirement of time, such as the use of technology.”

Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, who attended the event along with President Droupadi Murmu and election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, said they hope reforms under consideration will be introduced soon.