ECs asked to check use of money power in local body polls

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Thursday stressed the need for Election Commissioners to further strengthen mechanism to check the influence of money power in local body polls and its use to subvert the democratic process.

Addressing the State Election Commissioners' Conclave held at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) here, Reddy said Election Commissioners (ECs) have more responsibility to bring down muscle power and money power in local body elections.

"Family members are distributing villages among themselves and contesting the elections.

This does not suit democracy," he said.

Citing reports of 'auction' of gram panchayat posts (sarpanch and ward members), he noted that a poor person who really wants to serve the village or town in municipality cannot become an elected representative and this is a challenge.

"Is this democracy?" he asked and emphasised the need to change this.

A good person whose focus is on developing ward, village, town should be elected, he said, adding such an atmosphere has to be created.

"Whichever be the government in power you need not be scared. Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner through you (Election Commission) and political parties and also the voters need to think over this," Reddy said.

"It is important for us to remind ourselves the values with which our founding fathers have established the democratic set up where free and fair elections is the lifeline of the system in the process of expressing public will," he said.

Referring to complaints of maladministraion and poor service delivery in local governments, he said NIRDPR can evolve strategies and policies to overcome all roadblocks towards achieving a strengthened grassroots democracy.

"Nation building process begins at the grassroots. To transform India, the grassroots must be strengthened.

NIRDPR and the state Election Commissions have this important responsibility towards the mission of transforming India," Reddy added.

He expressed hope that the conclave's deliberations will help the states work out effective strategies to bring local body elections to the centre stage and enable local bodies to function as channels of good governance, among others.

"This will further strengthen our democratic system and our march towards New India," he said.