CPI(M) delegation meets EC, recommends electoral reforms

New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The CPI(M) suggested moving to a partial proportional representation system during a meeting with the EC on Saturday while also expressing concern over proposals on the delimitation exercise and holding simultaneous polls.

The Left party was the third to be called for a meeting with the Election Commission (EC), which is holding discussions with national and state parties to get a better understanding of their concerns after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took charge.

The CPI(M) delegation included its general secretary MA Baby, Polit Bureau member Nilotpal Basu and Central Secretariat member Muralidharan.

The Left party also expressed concern over the process of selection of the election commissioners, including the chief election commissioner.

"We submitted a very detailed understanding of the CPI(M) on various issues. Certain issues are related to modifications in the electoral process such as proportional representation, which we have demanded ... This is not within the purview of the Election Commission…," Baby said after the meeting.

The proportional representation system gives representation not just on the basis of seats won by a political party but also counts its vote share percentage.

The Left party, in its submission to the EC, said the first-past-the-post system was proving to be increasingly outmoded in reflecting popular opinion, with increasing disconnect between the popular votes polled by parties and the number of seats they secured in legislatures.

Citing the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as an example, it said the BJP won 282 seats with a 31 per cent vote share while the Congress managed only 44 with a share of 19.3 per cent.

In the 2024 polls, the BJP secured 240 seats with 36.56 per cent of the votes while the Congress -- with a mere increase of 1.89 percentage points to 21.9 per cent -- won an additional 55 seats compared to 2014.

The CPI(M) referred to an earlier Law Commission recommendation suggesting increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha by 25 per cent that could be filled by proportional representation following the list system while the existing 543 seats continued to be filled through direct elections.

The Left party also said there were many concerns arising out of the proposed delimitation exercise and the manner in which it was sought to be enforced.

Opposing the concept of one nation, one election, the CPI(M) said it was aimed at the creation of a "centralised unitarian State".

On the process of selection of election commissioners by a committee comprising the prime minister, a Union minister nominated by the prime minister and the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, according to a law passed by Parliament, the CPI(M) said it undermined a Supreme Court verdict that had said the selection committee should include the chief justice of India.

The CPI(M) delegation said this ensured only the executive's opinion would prevail and destroy the EC's impartiality and independence.

The party also raised concern over the role of money in elections and cited an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report that said 93 per cent of candidates who won the 2024 Lok Sabha polls were "crorepatis".

It threw its weight behind partial state funding of elections, as recommended by committees headed by Dinesh Goswami and Indrajit Gupta, and said it would provide a "financial floor" to parties and candidates.

The CPI(M) delegation also questioned the absence of any ceiling on expenditure of political parties during polls. It pointed out that while candidates' expenditure was capped only from the date of nomination to the date of declaration of results, the actual timeline was much longer.

Without taking any names, the CPI(M) said "certain high-ranking VIPs" were permitted the use of state-owned aircraft and other modes of transportation for free "under the pretext of threat perception and security", giving them an undue advantage.

The CPI(M) leaders shared their concerns over allegations of discrepancies with regard to polling data during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and alleged there was non-enforcement of the model code of conduct and EC advisories from time to time.

The EC's initiative to meet representatives of different parties aligns with its broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process, in accordance with the existing legal framework with all stakeholders, the poll body has said. PTI AO AO SZM SZM