Election Commission asks political parties to disclose cost of 'revdi' and reveal how it will be funded

New Delhi: In order to make political parties more accountable for the poll promises, the Election Commission of India (ECI) Tuesday asked them to furnish “authentic and adequate” information to the voters. The Commission has also sought their views on the issue.

“The choice to cast the vote, i.e. the most precious gift of democracy, is directly and intricately linked to access to timely and, reliable information. It is in this background that timely availability of data points to assess financial viability of the promises made to voters in the election manifestos assumes critically,” Senior Principal Secretary, ECI, Narendra N Butolia said.

The proposal comes of the back of the Supreme Court intervening freebies or “revdi” debate rages. The apex court had asked the ECI to come up with the guidelines and if there can be set rules of guidelines as far as freebies are concerned as many political parties, including Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in several states have come out and said welfare schemes cannot be termed as freebies.

The Commission has proposed to supplement the existing Model Code of Conduct (MCC) guidelines and mandate political parties to inform the voters about financial ramifications of their promises in manifesto against well-defined quantifiable parameters aimed at assessing feasibility of implementation of such promises within the financial space available in the State/Union.

The ECI has also told the political parties to eliminate ambiguity and has proposed to prescribe a proforma for the recognised National and State political parties for furnishing of details of financial implications of promises made in the election manifesto and the way and means to finance them.

The poll body said that it cannot overlook inadequate disclosures on election promises and consequential undesirable impact on financial sustainability as empty poll promises so made have far-reaching ramifications.

The proposed format for disclosure of election promises made by political parties seeks to bring standardisation in the nature of information facilitating comparability.

Disclosure proforma mandates declaration of quantification of physical coverage, financial implications of the promises and availability of the financial resources.

By proposing the reform, the poll panel aims to inform voters about the financial feasibility of election promises in manifestos and also whether they are sustainable within the financial space of the state or the Union government.

“Holding of periodic elections in a free, fair, and transparent manner is integral to any democracy. There are several dimensions to the concept of ‘free, fair” and transparent elections. These include but are not limited to all eligible voters being able to exercise their vote with ease and without fear or allurement,” the ECI said.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.