India's democracy is under siege from unchecked money power, warns a new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Titled 'Political Finance in India: Assessment and Recommendations,' it spotlights seven critical flaws: the dominance of money and muscle power, absent internal party democracy, lack of legal teeth for Election Commission (EC) rules, inability to deregister errant parties, evasion of Right to Information (RTI) laws, candidates flouting regulations and zero political will for change. These gaps foster financial secrecy and unbridled campaign spending, eroding fair elections.
Push for a comprehensive parties' regulation law
ADR demands a sweeping law to govern political parties, enforcing financial transparency, internal democracy, and leadership accountability. It urges empowering the EC to deregister non-compliant parties, including those ignoring disclosure rules or court orders. Bringing parties under RTI scrutiny would expose their operations to public view, while classifying bribery and freebies as corrupt practices under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, could deter vote-buying tactics.
Reforming political donations and funding
To tackle opacity, the report calls for caps on private donations, full donor disclosure, including parent companies of electoral trusts, and a total ban on anonymous or cash contributions, routing all via digital payments. Independent audits by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), with public reports, would ensure accountability. ADR also advocates public election funding through transparent models like vote- or seat-based allocations, plus incentives for parties boosting women and marginalised groups, to lessen reliance on private cash.
Enforcing spending limits and EC powers
Stricter campaign expenditure caps for parties and candidates are essential, backed by robust enforcement. For the EC, ADR recommends aligning commissioner appointments with the Supreme Court's 2023 guidelines, granting powers to countermand polls marred by money misuse, and boosting capacity via training and consultations. Penalties like fines, tax exemption losses and a public sanctions database would hit defaulters hard, withdrawing financial perks from violators.
