The conduct of the referee of fair play in the holding of free elections came under fire like never before towards the end of the Gujarat polls. As a neutral umpire, the Election Commission is tasked with providing a level playing field for all. It has to do so every time, and must also be seen to be fair. In the increasingly contentious nature of the race for power in all states, the commission faces an unenviable task. It may not have distinguished itself over Rahul Gandhi’s media interviews on the eve of the last day of polling, which it questioned with a notice to the Congress president-elect, while Amit Shah did much the same the same day and the Prime Minister indulged in a walking roadshow after casting his vote.
India’s democracy is getting so noisy and contentious that the EC must redefine its role more sharply. While the EC did show its independence in its ruling against the BJP in the controversial Gujarat Rajya Sabha poll, it may have been under even greater pressure in the Assembly polls. Casting aspersions on officials is a weakness of political parties scrambling for power. But there can’t be so much smoke without fire on a day as significant as the last day of polling. There may be little to be done in these cases as the EC is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t rule on all episodes. But it’s important to remember that the commission’s impartiality and neutrality shouldn’t be eroded if India’s pride in holding fair elections is to be preserved.
