HOW DO WE RESCUE OUR ELECTORAL INDEPENDENCE ? Besides Independent candidates who generally are those not given a ticket by their party or sponsored by a defeated MP/MLA, we are forced to choose from "winnable" candidate we do not want but vested interests sponsor! The choice of NOTA at present has no consequences/meaning. Neither the courts nor the EC can prevent criminals from contesting. There were doubts about the claim of untamperable electoral machines used and so VVPAT paper trail with SOP were introduced.These are generally not strictly followed. The Zilla elections were held with paper ballots which are not secret since the ballot paper has the same number as the counterfoil and when counting any inhouse arrangement is possible to know who has voted for whom! Besides NOTA was dropped. There is also a vast difference from the T,N,Seshan EC and the present ones. Parties have hijacked the electoral process that has to rely on government bureaucrats. The only answer is to be able to pressurize the government to enlarge NOTA and make it meaningful. For example, if there are more than an agreed big percentage of NOTA votes, that election must be declared null and void etc. That will make everyone's vote meaningful and force the parties to desist from giving tickets to so called winable people to honestly considered competent candidates. We must insist on VVPAT protocal/procedures made public, ballot paper must not have number or the same number as the counterfoil and ballot boxes mixed up before sending to counting centres. Let us strengthen our democracy and be proud of our foolproof electoral system! Trump challenged the election results in every court possible and right upto their Supreme Court. Their democracy stood the test and we the biggest democracy with a big chunk of farmers having to march to Delhi, pathetically in the cold on the roads and rapid "ordinance" mandated reforms, one after another, specially during a deadly pandemic, never needed our democracy more!
