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CEC Quraishi writes to PM for speeding up electoral reforms

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention in speeding up the electoral reform process.

Among some of the key electoral reforms suggested by the poll body and now mentioned by the CEC relate to debarring of criminals from contesting elections and curbing the role of money power in elections by bringing transparency in funding of political parties and getting their accounts audited.

Besides, the CEC has also sought constitutional immunity to two EC's as granted to CEC and funding the poll body through the Consolidated Fund of India, as done in the case of other constitutional bodies.

Quraishi has listed the key electoral reforms in three different categories, with some requiring an amendment to the Constitution, some others an amendment to the Representation of People Act and yet some others needing only an amendment to the rules.

He said there were many reforms which could be brought into effect by mere amendment of rules by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

He said even though the EC had proposed electoral reforms in 1998 and reiterated the same in November 1999, July, 2004, and October, 2006, with various governments, none of them has seen the light of the day.

Quraishi has in his letter expressed hope that the reforms will soon come through.

The CEC said he is "satisfied that the Prime Minister has always given support to the Election Commission's electoral reforms" and would ensure the same are brought in early.