Context

• B.R. Ambedkar emphasised the critical importance of maintaining the independence of elections and safeguarding electoral rolls from executive interference.
• This principle laid the foundation for the establishment of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 1950, a body tasked with preserving the sanctity of elections in the world’s largest democracy.
• As India celebrates the 75th anniversary of the ECI on January 25, also marked as National Voters Day, questions regarding the integrity of electoral processes loom large.

Ambedkar’s Vision and Concerns

• Ambedkar's warnings during the Constituent Assembly debates in 1949 were strikingly prophetic.
• He cautioned against the manipulation of electoral rolls, either through the exclusion of specific communities or the mass inclusion of voters to tilt election outcomes.
• Ambedkar envisioned an electoral system free from executive overreach, where the inclusion or exclusion of voters would not be influenced by racial, cultural, or linguistic biases.
• Seventy-five years later, this vision appears to be at odds with recent developments, particularly in the case of the Maharashtra State elections.

A Case Study of Maharashtra Elections

• The Discrepancy in Voter Numbers
  • According to the ECI, 9.7 crore voters were enrolled for the 2024 Maharashtra State elections.
  • This figure exceeded the adult population estimate of 9.54 crore, as reported by the Ministry of Health.
  • While slight deviations in such projections are understandable due to demographic changes, the enrolment of 16 lakh more voters than the estimated population is an anomaly that warrants scrutiny.
  • This discrepancy is especially striking given that voter enrolment in earlier elections, including the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections held just six months earlier, did not show such inflated numbers.
• Anomaly in the Rate of Voter Registration
  • What makes the case even more perplexing is the rate of voter registration in the months leading up to the State election.
  • In the five years between 2019 and 2024, only 32 lakh new voters were added to the rolls.
  • However, in the six months following the Lok Sabha election, 48 lakh new voters were registered, 50% more than the total registrations over the previous five years.
  • This sudden and dramatic increase suggests either an extraordinary mobilisation of previously unregistered voters or a systemic failure to ensure the authenticity of these registrations.
• Manipulation of Voter Patterns
  • The ECI has confirmed that 48 lakh new voters were registered during this period, but the lack of transparency about the verification process fuels concerns about the authenticity of these registrations.
  • If these new voters were legitimate, their overwhelming support for a single political alliance would be an extraordinary coincidence.
  • Alternatively, it could point to deliberate manipulation of the voter rolls, as Ambedkar had warned decades earlier.

The Role of the ECI, Implications and Lessons

• The Role of the ECI
  • The ECI’s silence on these anomalies has only deepened suspicions.
  • The absence of detailed explanations or a transparent release of data related to voter registration has left many unanswered questions.
  • Critics argue that the ECI’s dismissive attitude undermines public trust in the electoral process.
  • A common counterpoint offered by the ECI and its defenders is that opposition parties, despite having their own war rooms and organisational machinery, failed to detect and challenge these irregularities.
  • However, this argument does not absolve the ECI of its constitutional responsibility to ensure free and fair elections.
• Implications and Lessons
  • The Maharashtra elections serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in India’s electoral system.
  • They highlight the need for robust mechanisms to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter rolls.
  • The sudden and unexplained surge in voter registrations, coupled with the ECI’s lack of transparency, raises broader concerns about the potential for manipulation in other elections.
  • The anomalies observed in this case are not just administrative lapses but potential threats to the foundation of democracy.
  • By learning from such incidents and implementing systemic changes, India can ensure that its elections remain free, fair, and reflective of the people’s will.

Necessary Steps for ECI to Stop Election Manipulations

• Address the Concerns About Transparency
  • The patterns in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls highlight the need for transparency and accountability from the ECI.
  • Were these 48 lakh new voters real or fictitious? Were their documents verified during enrolment?
  • How did such a large number of new voters emerge in such a short span, and why did they predominantly favour one political alliance?
  • These questions remain unanswered as the ECI has opted for silence, leaving room for speculation about possible executive interference.
  • The ECI must address all of these concerns to ensure the public trust in free and fair electoral process.
  • A transparent and accountable ECI is essential to address these issues and restore public confidence in the electoral system.
• Integration of Aadhar with Electoral Rolls
  • One solution lies in integrating Aadhaar with electoral rolls to eliminate duplicate or fraudulent registrations and verify voter identities through biometric authentication.
  • Aadhaar’s robust framework can serve as a tool to ‘unghost’ electoral rolls, ensuring that only genuine voters are included.
  • However, this system must be designed carefully to safeguard against disenfranchisement.
  • For instance, alternative mechanisms should be available for individuals whose biometric authentication fails, ensuring that no eligible citizen is denied their right to vote.

Conclusion

• India’s electoral democracy rests on the foundation of trust and transparency, principles that the ECI is mandated to uphold.
• The concerns raised during the Maharashtra elections underscore the need for reforms that reinforce the integrity of electoral processes.
• By adopting technological solutions such as Aadhaar integration and fostering greater transparency in voter enrolment, the ECI can address issues of manipulation and restore public confidence.