All-party meeting to discuss state funding of polls
by Chandrika Jain

     New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) on Saturday convened a meeting of all national and state political parties here to discuss the issue of the state funding of elections. "The Commission has asked from six national recognized and 44 state recognized parties to send their views on the recommendations of the Union Cabinet by January 31," Election Commission sources said.

   The parties have nominated representatives from their respective parties for the meeting, two representatives from national parties and one from state parties, the sources said. The Union Cabinet, at a meeting on December 22, decided to refer the proposal of state funding of elections to the EC with a view to building consensus on the issue. The Government has sought the Election Commission's views on the extending facilities, on the proposal of the fifth committee chaired by late Indrajit Gupta of the Communist Party of India, a former Home Minister. The facilities included, rent-free accommodation to each recognized political party, free telephone calls during polls, printing papers, and petrol and diesel in certain quantities to each candidate of recognised political parties. The number of loudspeakers is also being fixed for each candidate. An Assembly contestant will get one set of loudspeakers, while a Parliament candidate would get a set for each Assembly segment, though not exceeding six. The government will also fund the snacks and food packets for the party agents during the counting. The Indrajit Gupta Commission made its recommendations in 1999 and the Law Commission of India concurred with this in its 170th report the same year. An all-party meeting discussed the issue in 1998 and urged that the state should fund polls. In 1990, a committee on electoral reforms had said state funding should be provided in kind only. A panel of the People's Union for Civil Liberties headed by noted jurist V M Tarkunde concurred with this in 1978. A joint Parliamentary Committee on electoral reforms that first discussed the issue in 1972 suggested the burden of election expenses be progressively shifted to the state.

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