'Discussed electoral reforms,' says government after controversial PMO-Election Commission meet
The Union Ministry of Law said Saturday that a controversial interaction between the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was to discuss electoral reforms. The November 16 virtual meeting was attended by CEC Sushil Chandra and two Election Commissioners, Anup Chandra Pandey and Rajiv Kumar. The ministry also acknowledged that Chandra had expressed "displeasure" over the meeting.
Why does it matter?
The controversial meeting has put in question the independence of the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, the law ministry is the administrative body for the poll panel. The ministry's statement is the first acknowledgment of the meeting. The development comes ahead of elections in several states next year, particularly in Uttar Pradesh—a key state to win for the 2024 general elections.
'Invite not meant for CEC'
The law ministry said that after CEC Chandra expressed "displeasure" over an invite to attend a meeting with the PMO, it was clarified that the invite was intended for "Secretary or a representative of the CEC familiar with the subject." The meeting discussed electoral reforms in The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021 recently cleared by the Union Cabinet, it said.
Ministry says there's 'regular interaction' with EC officials
Several ECI proposals on electoral reforms have been pending, the ministry said. "Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has addressed several letters (February 2011, May 2013, and July 2020) to the Law Minister that the pending reforms may be considered expeditiously," it said. There was "no physical meeting," it said. It also said that "regular interaction takes place between officials of ECI and Legislative department."
'Informal meeting held for further fine-tuning on issues'
Issues regarding Aadhaar linkage, the requisition of premises, and the number of qualifying dates for updation of electoral roll required "further fine-tuning," it said. Hence, after the official meeting, an "informal" interaction was held virtually with the CEC and two Election Commissioners, it said.
What did the PMO invite to EC officials say?
Earlier, it was reported by The Indian Express that the law ministry had written to the ECI on November 15. The letter reportedly had the subject line: "Video Conference on Common Electoral Roll with PMO - interaction with CEC - reg." A virtual meeting on November 16 chaired by Principal Secretary to PM "expects CEC to be present," the letter reportedly said.
'Unacceptable,' say former CECs
A senior EC official told TIE the meeting was "informal." The law ministry's letter to the ECI was "unacceptable," at least five former CECs informed the publication. The virtual meeting "could erode the EC's image of independence," the publication quoted them as saying.
