Opposition protests EC's move on poll promises

Opposition parties protested against the Election Commission’s move to amend the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to make it mandatory for the political parties to provide authentic information to voters on the financial viability of the promises they make to woo the voters.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday dismissed the move by the Election Commission as “totally unwarranted”. “The Constitution mandates the Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections. It is not the job of the Election Commission to regulate the policy pronouncements and welfare measures that political parties promised to the people,” the politburo of the CPI(M) stated. “This is an area which is solely the prerogative of political parties in a democracy.”

The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) too on Wednesday called it “an uncalled for and unwarranted move” which would “affect the independence of the political parties to decide on their political agenda”.

The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Aam Aa and Shiv Sena also opposed the EC’s move. The AAP reiterated its firm belief that public money should be spent on the public.

The EC on Tuesday wrote to all political parties asking them to submit their views by October 19 on its proposal to add a proforma to Part VIII (guidelines on election manifesto) of the MCC. The amendment in the MCC would require political parties to inform voters about the financial feasibility of promises made in their manifestos and also about the sustainability of the promises in the financial situations of the Central and the state governments. The proforma would seek details of the promises – like extent and expanse of coverage (individual, family, community, only for people Below Poverty Line or for all population), quantification of physical coverage, quantification of financial implications of the promises made, availability of the financial resources, ways and means of raising resources for meeting the additional expenditure to be incurred in fulfilling the promises, which could include increase in tax and non-tax revenues, rationalization of expenditure, additional borrowings and any other sources.

The chief secretaries of the states and union finance secretary in the Centre will also be required to populate fiscal information based on the latest Budget Estimates or Revised Estimates in the year of the general election. The parties will have to report against the fiscal parameters facilitating standardisation and comparability, the EC proposed.

The poll panel noted that empty poll promises had far-reaching ramifications.

The commission added that it could not overlook the undesirable impact inadequate disclosures on election promises had on financial sustainability.

“(The) Election Commission does a u-turn after filing affidavit in Supreme Court that it will stay out on freebie debate,” Kapil Sibal, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha with support from the Samajwadi Party, tweeted, recalling that poll panel held that any action on its part would be an overreach. “(The EC) Now wishes to include it in the Model Code of Conduct,” he posted on Twitter, adding: “Maybe EC itself needs a Model Code of Conduct!”

The Congress called the EC’s move “another nail on the coffin of democracy”. “None of the welfare and social development schemes that have been transformational over the decades would ever have become a reality if such a bureaucratic approach had been in place,” Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, said.

The EC’s move rekindled the debate over freebies promised or offered by political parties to win elections. The debate started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July cautioned against the practice of distributing freebies to win elections.