Encouraging people to vote major challenge: Election Commissioner

Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra on Thursday said encouraging voters to exercise their right to franchise was a major challenge for the poll body.

Addressing the valedictory session of a seminar by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's Rajasthan chapter here, Chandra informed that nearly eight crore new voters were added to the country's electoral roll between 2009 and 2014.

Stressing that listening to the views of others was important in a parliamentary democracy, the commissioner said that the EC was set up to protect democracy in the country.

In a separate session during the seminar, senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha said money power, muscle power and paid news were the main obstacles in the path of free and fair elections.

He also said that the idea of state funding of elections needed more deliberations and thoughts.

"Money power, muscle power and paid news are the obstacles for any election. With muscle power, booths are captured in elections. This has been practised in the country but now such cases have declined," he said.

Sinha was responding to questions during a technical session on 'comparative global context of parliamentary democracy and Indian contribution' in the day-long seminar organised in the state assembly.