Quraishi favours setting up of collegium to appoint ECs

An Election Commissioner would feel "more powerful" if a collegium appoints him, he told a seminar here on electoral reforms

"I have advocated it (collegium) during my tenure. It is a good move. We (Election Commissioners) are like neutral umpires. Many times there are allegations of favouritism against the Election Commission.

"This (collegium) would eliminate such allegations since Election Commisioners would be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition and Chief Justice of India among others. I would feel more powerful if a collegium selects me. I support this move," Quraishi, who retired last month, said.

BJP leader L K Advani had last month written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to constitute a collegium for the appointment of Election Commisioners and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), a demand which found support from DMK and CPI(M). Advani had raised the issue just days before Quraishi demitted office in June.

Claiming that the present selection process is vulnerable to "manipulation and partisanship," Advani had said the present system where members of the Election Commission are appointed by the President "solely on the advice of the Prime Minister, does not evoke confidence among the people."

Emphasising that voter-education is the solution to all maladies currently plaguing the system, Quraishi said that right to recall and right to reject were not feasible in a country as big as India.

"Right to recall and right to reject both are not feasible on various grounds. People are fatigued of elections and what these will do is that they will stall the development work of the area," said Quraishi.

"It was due to the voter education drive of the Election Commission that the recent elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab saw unprecedented turnouts," he said.

Quraishi asked those turning 18 years to register themselves as voters. January 25 is National Voters Day held every year across the country and for the past two years it has witnessed massive participation for enrolment for voters cards, said.