Let’s Talk About: Inside India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections | Promo

#loksabhaelection2024

India’s grand electoral spectacle, with over a billion people voting in scorching heat, has been marked by high-pitched campaigns, big poll promises, controversies, and coalitions. But there have also been instances of voter suppression, the use of communal and divisive rhetoric, and intimidation for withdrawal of nominations from hot seats.

In this special episode of Let’s Talk About, host Abhinandan Sekhri speaks to SY Quraishi, former chief election commissioner of India, about the election commission’s powers and limitations, misconduct during polls, delays in the release of voter data, EVMs and the underbelly of Indian polls.

Quraishi, who has also authored India’s Experiment With Democracy and An Undocumented Wonder: The Great Indian Election, threw light on the scale of the elections and said that while the ECI only has the moral authority to caution and reprimand under the Model Code of Conduct, it has “immense powers” under Article 324 of the constitution.

On the incidents of the BJP’s Hyderabad contestant Madhavi Latha taking law in her own hands at a polling booth, the saffron party’s communal ad on X, and candidates allegedly being forced to withdraw nominations for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Quraishi said the ECI could file FIRs. He also explained that the poll body appoints one officer in each district to monitor OTT and that “every political ad needs to be cleared by the ECI’s media certification and monitoring committee”.

The former bureaucrat spoke about the chief commissioner’s accountability, procedure of collating voter data, poll logistics, accusations of EVM manipulation, and the evolution of the election voting machine through the years. “In Form 17A at polling booths, officers record the sequence of voters. The data is available in real time with the presiding officer… Form 17C gives a total figure for the whole day. The complete data should be available within 24 hours.”

Tune in.

Follow and engage with us on social media:

[JJ-hpmb]

Constitutional authorities & bodies should be the role models of transparency & accountability. But in our country, it's the exact opposite. 😐

[rhutukrishna]

Current EC is behaving like godi commission

[hariharrauthan]

Nobody will ever know why there was a difference in polled and counted votes in 373 seats in 2019. Hopeless 😔 journalism in India. Why are you raising this now when everything is over.

[mrsarkar]

Rahul Gandhi ji has a clear vision for youth employment. My vote for Congress 🇮🇳

[salvadordali]

my father is retired from UPSC what he said that no one can pressure or order on UPSC because it is Independent Entity . . . . EC too they have immense power, UPSC Chairman rank is equal to Cabinet Minister

[NehaVerma-lfeh]

There was never a panel that comprised of CJI, leader of opposition & PMO to chose the members election Commission. As per the usual Convention, the Central government recommends the name to the President, who then appoints the CEC and other Election Commissioners. In March 2023, the Supreme Court of India resorted to judicial activism and tried to snatch the power of the Central government to appoint members of the Election Commission & ruled that a 3-member selection panel, comprising of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition would jointly appoint the Election Commissioner until a law on the same is framed by the Parliament. The dangerous precedent laid by the Supreme Court was course corrected when the government introduced The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha.

[sanjaykumar-niol]

Sir aaj maine delhi mai apna vote, dala hai in bt block shalimar bagh, lakin mujhe mera vote vvpad par nahi dikha, aur aap ka koi bhi officer mujhe satisfid nahi kar paiya, maine vvpad ki parchi dikhane kai liyea kaha, unohone parchi dikhane se mana kar daiya, aur bola aawaz aa gahi hai to vot dal gaya hai, par mai satisffide nahi hoo, unke jabab se

[Dadasahab]

If they loose, they will raise one or other issue.such as EVM , Also such issues were never raised by any party.Earliar on there was only one E.C. appointed by government of the day.No body ever raised such issues.😂

[supratiksarkar]

Culture of order hai order nahi hai is all ias ips are trained for