ECI to establish Visiting Chair on Interdisciplinary Approach to Electoral Studies

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : To commemorate and celebrate former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) T N Seshan’s special connect with the young and aspiring India, Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to establish and fund a Visiting chair on interdisciplinary approach to Electoral Studies in the Centre for Curriculum Development at India international Institute of Democracy and Election Management( IIIDEM ), New Delhi, from 2020-2025. The Chair will be mentored by N Gopalaswami, former CEC.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on November 16, 2019, announced this decision while delivering the Keynote address at the Institute of Law, NIRMA University, Ahmedabad. President of NIRMA University Dr Karsanbhai K Patel; Umesh Sinha, Secretary General, ECI; Vice Chancellor Dr. Anup Singh; Director, Institute of Law, Dr Purvi Pokhariyal,, faculty and students were present on the occasion.  Arora was invited by the University on the occasion of Law Conclave organised in memory of the legendary Constitutional expert, economist, and jurist par excellence, Nani Palkhiwala.

Speaking on the occasion, CEC Arora said , “ T N Seshan’s enduring contribution to the cause of probity, transparency, and integrity in various aspects of the electoral process in India has made his name synonymous with electoral best practices worldwide. In his memory thus the ECI would establish the Chair. It shall be our endeavour to ensure that the Chair becomes fully functional during the next academic session  August- September, 2020.” The detailed modalities of the establishment of the Chair shall be worked out by Umesh Sinha, Secretary General, ECI, Dharmendra Sharma, DG, IIIDEM, and Mona Sreenivas, Director, ECI, and will be presented to the Commission by March 15, 2020, according to a PIB release.

Delivering his lecture on ‘Electoral law – its evolution and practice in India’, CEC Arora said, “Coincidentally, the 70^th Anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India on November 26, 1950, is close at hand, affording an opportunity for all of us to deliberate on the path ahead.”

Arora said, “Our Constitution is a living document. In many ways, it is also an evolving document which has endured the test of times. From its very inception, the Constitution has spelt, for each and every Indian, a vocabulary of rights, entitlements, duties as well as the trinity of equality, freedom and dignity which make life meaningful.” CEC said. The Election commission, like any institution, has to constantly reinvent itself in order to confront new and emerging challenges, he stated.

CEC Arora said ,“The electoral journey has been remarkable. Yet we cannot sit on past laurels. The Commission is committed to bring more reforms to ensure that the process become more in sync with the times, the current technologies and enhanced voter participation. Recently, the concept of Absentee voters has been made part of our process. We hope to have more than one qualifying dates for eligibility of voters. We have large number of overseas population and we need to devise a mechanism to facilitate their participation in the electoral process. We also need to work harder to curb the menace of money power, misinformation and to check the criminal elements in the arena of elections.”