Pan-India Citizens’ Vigilance Panel Pledges to Protect People’s Mandate, Says ‘Lost Trust in EC’

New Delhi: In a reflection of the diminishing credibility of the Election Commission (EC), over a hundred concerned citizen groups, former bureaucrats and individuals, under the banner of ‘Wake up Karnataka’ have set up a pan-India ‘Citizens’ Vigilance Commission’ during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, especially over the “possible manipulation” of votes on counting day, June 4, 2024.
 

Over 120 citizens’ groups met in Bengaluru on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, pledging to protect India’s democracy, pointing out how the EC had “failed” to act on concerns flagged by citizens on full disclosure of voter turnout, hate speeches, use of religion to lure votes among others, according to a report in the Deccan Herald.

The Citizens’ Vigilance Commission plans to hold meeting in New Delhi and other states to discuss ways to make the EC “accountable” more so with regard to outcomes on the counting day.

 Addressing the media after a six-hour-long discussion, political economist Parakala Prabhakar said the group was formed after the repeated “failure” of the EC to respond to citizen complaints and concerns.

“We have a serious and limited objective: that the people’s will should be reflected on the ballot, whatever that it is. If that were not to happen, the civil society will have to challenge it to assert the civic rights of the people,” he told reporters, as quoted by the DH report.

He pointed out how the Chief Justice of India had been eliminated from the selection panel to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, leaving the power entirely in the hands of the Union government. This move in itself had cast doubts over the recent EC appointments and their “impartiality”, he added.

Prabhakar made it clear that “we are not accusing the EC of anything. However, it is for the EC to establish that our doubts are unfounded.”

He also cited the EC’s repeated failure to take action against various violation of the model code of conduct and electoral laws by the Prime Minister and many other ‘bigwigs’ of the ruling dispensation, the refusal of the EC to publish Form17C, which “do not give confidence to the general public”.

Incidentally, this year, the EC has also stopped holding press conference after each phase of polling, which was always helpful in clearing the air about so many matters.

Former bureaucrat M G Devasahayam also pointed out how there were never so many “clouds of doubt and suspicions” over the election process in India.

He said the EC’s stance on not facilitating cross-verification of votes with VVPAT could lead to “massive stealing of the mandate of the people”, leaving a huge question mark on democracy itself.

Citing his experience during the Emergency in 1975, Devasahayam said: "I was part of the electoral process as the district magistrate and returning officer of Chandigarh. The question before the people was almost the same: democracy or dictatorship? People, through a clairvoyance, stood as one and voted democracy back”.

He said the mood and atmosphere in 2024 seems the same but “the stumbling block is that by and large elections are not free and fair.”

Among the others who addressed the media were activist Teesta Setalvaad, Congress leader Gurdeep Sappal, cultural activist G N Devy, and farmer leader B Nagendra.